Dream A Little Nightmare
by StarStealer
Summary: Five years AFTER TNBC. Jack and Sally have one child who seems to have inheirited Jack's lust for the unknown. An event follows on Halloween that could spell doom for Halloween town itself. Chapter 12 finally up! ^.^
1. The Plan

Dream a Little Nightmare  
By: Laney Sanchez  
  
Synopsis: About five years later things are back to being as normal as things can be in Halloween town. Jack and Sally now have one child (courtesy of Dr. Finkelstein): Poe. While doing a routine scare on Halloween, something goes terribly wrong that could possibly tear Halloween Town apart forever. Now it is up to Jack, Sally and Poe to save the day.  
  
  
( \/ ) Chapter One ( \/ )  
o The Plan o  
  
"Jack!"  
  
"One moment, one moment!" Jack Skellington cried, sifting through his black bag. It had to be here somewhere! Where was it?  
  
"Jack, I beg of you! The crowd is getting restless!" a familiar, panicked voice rang throughout the room.   
  
As if on cue, Jack pulled a long roll of dirty parchment from his bag. "Aha!" Just the item he had been searching for. His skeletal face lit up among the shadows of the room.   
  
"Did you find it?" a younger voice floated over, riding on the wind.  
  
Jack peered over to the younger voice that had addressed him. He smiled widely, quite pleased with himself. "Yes, I did as a matter of fact," he said with a smirk, triumphantly holding up the parchment. The younger voice belonged to that of a younger skeleton. In fact, it looked like a miniature version of Jack himself, minus the striped suit which was replaced by one similar, yet all black with a small pumpkin brooch.  
  
He smiled widely at his son, Poe. "Yes, this year you'll learn the TRUE art of scaring, my boy!"  
  
"JAAAACK!" the Mayor's deep voice bellowed from beyond the door. Poe shot the door a look of annoyance. He didn't care for the Mayor of Halloween town. Not one little bit. In Poe's opinion, he was a short, incapable, stupid little ghoul. Poe realized that his father had been watching him. He promptly snapped out of his reverie. "Let's go before he falls apart..."  
  
Jack nodded and ushered his son toward the door with one bony hand on his shoulder. Jack opened the door and the Mayor almost lunged at Jack. "Jack, please tell me you have it! PLEASE tell me you have the plan! You've got the whole town in suspense and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep them calm!!"  
  
"Relax!" Jack said with a chuckle. "Everything is right here..." he said with a small pat to the parchment. He held it down so the Mayor could see it.   
  
The Mayor's eyes widened as if it were a precious stone. "Fabulous! You always come through Jack!"  
  
"Are we leaving now?" Poe interjected, his annoyance growing by the minute. The Mayor looked over as if surprised to see him. "Ah, nice to see you again Poe! That suit is quite slimming on you!"  
  
Poe gave him a look that was not unlike that you give somebody who has proved themselves to be an idiot by stating the obvious.   
  
"Ah yes, time to go, time to go!" The Mayor said before Poe could respond. The Mayor quickly ushered out Jack and Poe. As the pair left the confines of their home, Poe began mentally prepping himself for yet ANOTHER Halloween which was sure to be like last.  
  
***  
  
"This is so boring!" Lock whined, sitting atop a low stone hedge with his short little legs dangling and kicking over the side.   
  
"There's nothing to do..." Shock agreed, futzing with her hat, then twirling one lock of scraggly off color hair.   
  
"This year, we could replace the candy with spiders!" Barrel, the smallest of the devious trio, suggested. He looked to his fellow comrades for support.  
  
"We did that that the year before last, but with roaches..." Shock replied, not at all thrilled by Barrel's lame suggestion. Barrel seemed to ponder further, probing his own mind for possible solutions. "Well, okay! I know! We stick snails in kids' hair!"  
  
"Snails are boring!!" Lock griped.  
  
"Dead man's toes?" Barrel suggested.  
  
"Their dead! What fun are those?!" Shock screeched, slapping Barrel upside his round little head. Lock shook his head. "You're so dumb..." he muttered giving Barrel a sour look out of the corner of his eyes.  
  
"I am not!" Barrel shot back, rubbing his head.  
  
"Shut up! You're not helping me think!" Shock snapped at the two, who promptly shut up. "We need to do something that EVERYONE will notice. Something that will cause lots of trouble!"  
  
"How about we feed the Mayor to the Griffin!?" Lock suggested, rather enthusiastically.  
  
"No."  
  
Barrel looked over. "We could go visit the place where we found that big bunny lookin' thing! Then REALLY mess stuff up there!"  
  
"No! Stop giving suggestions!"   
  
Lock and Barrel then made nasty faces at Shock. Shock whipped her head over in their direction and they sat there whistling and twiddling their thumbs.  
  
"I got it! We-no...too small time. Or maybe we could..." Shock considered to herself, hopping off the hedge. She failed to notice the reminiscent look upon Lock's face.  
  
"You know, I didn't like him much but things were a lot more interesting with Oogie around..." Lock muttered. Barrel solemnly shook his head in agreement.  
  
At that, Shock lifted her head slowly and her dark eyes lit up. An idea had hit, and it had hit hard. "That's it..." she whispered with an evil snicker.  
  
"Yeah, but he smelled!" Barrel said, making a rather disgusted face. Lock nodded. "And he was mean..."  
  
"And-"  
  
"THAT'S IT!! HEEHEEHEE!" Shock shouted, giggling with pure glee. Lock and Barrel fell off the hedge from the surprise of her shout.  
  
"What's it?" Barrel asked from the ground behind the hedge.  
  
"Think about it! Things WERE more interesting with Oogie around, remember?"   
  
"Uhh...yeah but Oogie's gone..." Lock said, crawling out from behind the hedge. Shock shot him a glare. "Of course he is stupid! That's why we're going to bring him back!"  
  
"We are?" Lock asked, confused. "Wow!" Barrel commented, crawling out as well. "Yes, it's just what this town needs. Besides, think about it! You really think that he wouldn't be grateful?"  
  
"Well, maybe..." Barrel considered, put a small finger to his toothy mouth. Lock pushed him out of the way. "Yeah!! Maybe he'll be so happy, he'll reward us!"  
  
"It could happen...!" Shock said, leaning in.   
  
"We'll make this Halloween REALLY scream!" Shock declared, giggling once again. Lock joined her in her snicker fit, but Barrel still seemed confused. "What about Jack?" he asked and gave a slight little tremble.  
  
"What Jack doesn't know won't hurt him," Shock said casually as though Jack were no one of importance. "Yeah!" Lock chimed in, grinning deviously and slipping on his familiar red faced mask. "Besides, by the time anyone finds out, it'll be too late!"  
  
"So this will work!?" Barrel asked, starting to join in with the others' excitement. Shock slapped him upside the head once more. "Of course it will! And it will be the best Halloween ever!"  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Lock proclaimed, jumping up.   
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"To Oogie's manor!" Shock shouted, thrusting one finger forward to the distance. The plan had been set. 


	2. Enough Pretending

Dream a Little Nightmare  
By: Laney Sanchez  
  
Synopsis: About five years later things are back to being as normal as things can be in Halloween town. Jack and Sally now have one child (courtesy of Dr. Finkelstein): Poe. While doing a routine scare on Halloween, something goes terribly wrong that could possibly tear Halloween Town apart forever. Now it is up to Jack, Sally and Poe to save the day.  
  
Note: Just to let you know, Poe if we were to give Poe an age it would be about sixteen. There's a reason which will be explained later on. Also, in true TNBC fashion, there will be songs. If you see a * before a section it means it's a song. All songs are written by me, so if it's not the best I apologize. I'm not a songwriter =\  
  
  
( \/ ) Chapter Two ( \/ )  
o Enough Pretending o  
  
The town hall was awake with cackles and eerie whispers. The dank, dark wood was alive with sound and activity. Monsters and ghouls began shuffling into the rickety wooden benches, eager for the ceremony to commence. Everyone was excited for Jack's plans for this Halloween.  
  
Everyone except Poe. The Pumpkin King's son, himself.  
  
He sighed as he watched his mother fix the pumpkin brooch at his neck. "There!" she said, standing back and smiling. Poe forced a weak smile then turned away. "Poe, what's wrong?" she asked, her pleasant look melting away to give birth to a look of worry and concern. He frowned, losing the faked smile. His "everything-is-okay" act never worked with his mother. Yet, it was useless to tell her what was on his mind, because no one would understand. Not even her. He was sure of it. Ideas like his just weren't natural to have.  
  
"It's nothing..." he muttered brokenly. Sally frowned and moved closer to Poe. It was painfully obvious that his "nothing" was really bothering him. "It must be something. Please, tell me..."  
  
"It's-" Poe began, only to be immediately interrupted.   
  
"Sally, Poe! There you two are!"  
  
Poe looked over to see his father, drawing closer. He turned his sullen face away almost immediately. He especially didn't want to have to explain his sad face to his father. Halloween meant so much to him. He just wished it meant the same to himself.  
  
"Jack," Sally said with a smile. Jack was grinning as broadly as he could. "I'm really excited. This Halloween is going to be even better than the last!"  
  
"Well..." Sally looked away a bit timidly. "Of course it will be if you've planned it..."   
  
"Thank you!" Jack said warmly, taking her hands. Sally looked to his face and smiled genuinely. Jack's charm and determination never failed to amaze her.  
  
"Ahhrmm..." Poe coughed. He hated these lovey-dovey moments between his parents. Jack looked over, along with Sally. "Poe! Are you all ready to give the speech with me?"   
  
Poe forced the smile once again. "Er...of course...!" he lied with a nervous chuckle. He never really had been a social flower and speeches were certainly not his strong point.  
  
Sally frowned yet again. She alone could tell her son wasn't being honest.   
  
"Great!" Jack said, giving Poe a rather hard pat to the back. "With you by my side, we're going to be unstoppable!"  
  
"And here he is! Our man Jack, King of the pumpkin patch!"  
  
"That's my cue!" Jack said, straightening up, and heading for the stage. He gave Poe a reassuring thumbs up. Poe frowned again as his father left. Sally put her hand on his shoulder. "Poe, I really wish you'd tell me what's on your mind..."  
  
Poe just looked away. "What does it matter?"  
  
"It matters a lot, Poe..."  
  
Poe said nothing. He desperately wanted to tell his mother of how he wished for something else. How, just for once he would like to experience life in the normal world, outside of Halloween. He wanted to tell her how the town anthem, "This is Halloween" made him want to scream in agony every time he heard it. However, he couldn't. All of it would sound ridiculous. Then chances were, she'd tell his father and then he'd NEVER hear the end of it.  
  
"Poe?"  
  
Then again, apart of his mind toyed with the idea that maybe, just maybe, she MIGHT understand. His mother, like himself, had never achieved the popularity with the town folk that his father had. So perhaps, she might know where he was coming from. He drew in a deep breath. "Here goes nothing..." he thought.  
  
"It's just that apart of me, doesn't feel like -"   
  
"Poe!"  
  
Poe moaned, clearly annoyed. He'd had just about enough of being interrupted in one night.  
  
Both Sally and Poe turned their heads to the stage where Jack stood waiting. Poe sighed. It really was useless. This had to be some sort of sign. Just when he was about to let one person know what was on his mind...  
  
"Never mind..." he said rather quickly and turned towards his father on stage.  
  
Sally felt her hand slide from his shoulder, and she stood helpless as he walked to his father on stage. Inside, she had a feeling that she knew what was plaguing Poe. It was the same restless feeling that had plagued his father five years ago. The same feeling that had caused Jack to kidnap the Christmas holiday for Halloween town. This brought a sad sort of smile to her face. He really was like Jack in a lot of ways.   
  
Maybe too much so.  
  
***  
  
Everyone applauded as Poe stepped on stage. He had never really been popular with the townspeople like his father was, so it was easy for him to tell the applause was sort of forced. Some believed he wasn't really fit to be called "The Pumpkin Prince." He didn't really understand why. He supposed it was due to his shyer nature. For now, he was just the skeleton in his father's shadow.   
  
"As I have explained, the plan is quite brilliant, you see. With Poe with me, we'll break scream and scare records! The very world will tremble and know the REAL meaning of Halloween!"  
  
At this, the crowd broke into a round of ecstatic screams and hoots. Jack put his hand on his son's shoulder. Poe, for his part, just smiled and fed the crowd what they wanted. Jack smiled broadly. "Jack you have done it again!" The Mayor shouted. "Let's hear it for Jack Skellington! Halloween Town's very own Pumpkin King!"  
  
The applause grew louder, and eventually died down into a loud, hideous version of the town anthem. Poe grit his teeth and finally turned away when Jack was speaking with the Mayor.   
  
He'd had enough pretending for the night.  
  
***  
  
Poe walked up the steps to the high tower of his home. The night was still young, so therefore his father and his mother were still out with the over anxious crowds. Poe found that it was nicer to be alone.  
  
He walked to the window and pushed it open softly. The moon glowed an unnatural yellow, as it did every night since he could remember. It was nothing new, it never was. That was what had been driving him crazy lately. He sighed, and shut the window, disgustedly.  
  
He felt a small tug at the leg of his pants which forced him to look down. Poe smiled appreciatively. "Hi Zero..."   
  
The small dog yipped in response and gave him a sort of smile. He had thought too soon. It was nice to be alone with Zero. Someone who appreciated him, son of Jack Skellington or not. Poe, returned the smile. "I wish I was as happy as you are Z..."  
  
Zero cocked his head to the side as if trying to understand. His nose flickered for a brief moment, and this made Poe smile all the wider.  
  
"Maybe you'll understand?" Poe asked, chuckling lightly as he pat the dog gently. "Well, at the very least you won't call me out of my skull..."  
  
Zero yipped again and floated up to nuzzle Poe's bony hand.   
  
*  
  
"This feeling inside, is one I cannot describe, though it tears at me every day..." he gave Zero a mournful look.   
  
"This feeling inside, it screams in my skull and it never seems to go away."  
  
He walked slowly toward the fireplace and stared into the flames. "Though I've tried and I've tried, I get no answers, only questions. Where? When? ...and finally why?" he asked miserably.  
  
"I wonder and I wonder, but still nothing comes and I'm left with the same empty feeling as before..." Poe said softly, looking up into the black mantle above the fireplace. "You'd think one such as I, who's been given so much, would smile and join in, but no...I can't!"  
  
"I just can't let it go, to think that I may never know, well it drives me almost totally crazy! To think that there's something else beyond my grasp, something new, something bold, it makes my mind quite hazy. With my being, with my soul, there's a need to know!"  
  
Poe frowned suddenly. "But my hope has fallen so low..."  
  
Zero whimpered at his side. Poe moved down the mantle, until he came to a picture of himself with his father and mother.  
  
"'Your life is here, your life is now' as anyone might say. 'You should be proud! Well, why not? After all you are the son of Jack, the Pumpkin King!'"  
  
Poe ran a single bony finger along the picture. "But my heart can't accept what the obvious is and still I long for more. This feeling inside pulls at me and I know! There's more beyond what they all see..."  
  
Poe moved away from the picture towards his bed, beginning to smile fiercely. "I will not let it go, not now, not ever, until I'm absolutely sure! I will find out how, I will find out why, and things will NEVER be as they were!"  
  
Poe finally sank down into his bed, his smile fading. "With my being, with my soul, there's a need to know...but my hope has hope has fallen so low..."  
  
Zero whimpered once more and curled up in Poe's lap. "So for now, here I sit. Here I sit and I sing. The restless son of Jack, the Pumpkin King..." Poe finished, hanging his head. 


	3. Not Quite Enough

Dream a Little Nightmare  
By: Laney Sanchez  
  
( \/ ) Chapter Three ( \/ )  
o Not Quite Enough o  
  
"This years award for most fashionable way to wear a bandage goes to Mumeria!" The Mayor announced, as a slim, well wrapped mummy came up to the stage to receive her award. She waved and though all you could see were her catlike yellow eyes, she looked happy.  
  
Jack applauded with the rest, by the Mayor's side.  
  
"Jack?" a rather timid voice called.  
  
Jack looked to his side. "Sally," he said with a smile. Sally returned the smile, but couldn't force back the look of worry that came after. "What's wrong?" Jack asked, perplexed. Sally looked to the crowd then back to him. "We need to talk Jack. It's important..."  
  
"Well, I rarely ever stay for the awards anyway..." he considered. "Sure! Let's go," he said, offering her his hand. Sally smiled and took it.  
  
"Finally, most ingenious idea for Halloween goes to, of course, Jack Skellington!!" The Mayor announced gleefully. "Jack?" the Mayor said, looking to his side. Suddenly his head turned completely around to reveal a dismayed frown. "Oh, not again! He always leaves right before his award!"  
  
***  
  
"Wondrous night, isn't it?" Jack mused, staring at the moon. Sally quickly agreed. "Yes Jack, but-"  
  
"You know, I wonder why I ever bothered with trying to steal Christmas. Sure, it was fun while it lasted, but I've come to see that my place is here..."  
  
"I know Jack, but if you would just-"  
  
"My place is here, with you and Poe..." Jack said, turning and smiling fondly at Sally. Sally looked away, feeling a bit like her old shy self. "Jack..." she said softly. Jack smiled and one hand lifted her head slightly. "What is it Sally?"  
  
Sally let the smile fade and bit her lip. "Jack, that's partially what I wanted to talk to you about..."  
  
"Halloween?"  
  
"No. Poe..."   
  
"Poe?" Jack asked confused. "Well, what about him. He's just as excited as I am!"  
  
Sally shook her head lightly and averted her eyes to the ground. "No, no I don't think so..."  
  
"Of course he is!" Jack said with a slight scowl. "I saw him on stage as did you. He was all smiles!"  
  
"That's just it! I was with him before he went on stage and-" she stopped to allow a frustrated sigh. There was little that she could say that would do any good. She knew that once Jack had an idea in his head, it was very, VERY hard to dissuade him from it. She might as well have told the people of Halloween town that Halloween was just a myth. "I'm just worried that everything's not okay. I'm worried Poe might do something...drastic..."  
  
Jack smiled broadly. "Well, let's hope so! The more drastic the better for his first Halloween scare! Speaking of which, let's get home. I'm sure he'll be wanting to discuss the Halloween plans some more," Jack said, absolutely glowing at the idea. If Sally had a smile, it was now lost. She understood how much Jack loved Poe, and how much he wanted Poe to follow in his footsteps. However, if that was the case, how come he simply couldn't see that Poe was a side of Jack that he, himself, had tried to forget.  
  
Sally allowed a final sigh to escape her lips. She had a terrible feeling that yet again, she was failing to avert disaster.  
  
***  
A gray, dim light, flooded the room of Oogie's Manor. Three pairs of feet plodded in slowly, stirring up light dust clouds as they did so. Spiders shrank away from the minimal light and the wood creaked beneath the feet.  
  
"Back again!" Lock exclaimed, running forward. It was their old playroom, riddled with dust, and forgotten, but the same more or less. Barrel glanced about, rather delighted to find his old chains and spike collections still in tact. Shock, meanwhile was peering down the ever so familiar tube that led to Oogie's hideaway torture room. She stood back and stared at the drawn on monster face above the tube. "I wonder...if maybe this is wrong..." she asked herself, though not loud enough for her cohorts to hear.   
  
Almost in the blink of an eye she found herself snickering. "Nah...!"  
  
"Hey it's Oogie's tube!" Barrel proclaimed, bouncing over to Shock. Lock followed as well. The three stood back observing the hole. Finally, Lock was the first one to speak. As he spoke, a positively evil look glimmered in his childlike eyes. "I've always wanted to do this!" he said slyly and began to lean his weight into Barrel. This created a domino effect until Shock was mashed up against the hole.  
  
"CUT THAT OUT!!" she screeched, wiggling as hard as she could. Lock grunted and pushed some more. "Don't ...be...such...a...scaredy..."  
  
"HEY OUCH!"   
  
"STOP SHOVIN'!"  
  
"You better cut this out!!"  
  
Finally, with one last shove, Shock and Barrel were sent sliding down the musty hole. Their little screams echoed until at last they faded. Lock smirked. "Worm!" he finished with a snicker, then hopped in himself.  
  
After the brief but fun (in his opinion) slide down the hideously smelly, metal tube, Lock landed ontop of his two friends with an "oof!"  
  
Shock was the first to shove the two off. "That wasn't so bad!" Lock said with a snicker. "Oh, shut up!" Shock griped in return. However her face quickly fell and a silence overtook her.  
  
"Get off me!! You're HEAVY!" Barrel whined. Lock shoved an elbow into Barrel's back. "Hurts don't it? Don't it? Huh?"  
  
"Stooooop!!" Barrel squealed kicking and squirming.  
  
"Hey Shock, why're you so quiet-" Lock stopped, trailing off in mid sentance. Even he finally took notice of what Shock was staring at.  
  
He had rolled off Barrel, to join Shock in staring, however Barrel was still kicking and whining. After a moment of realizing that Lock had abandoned torturing him, he sheepishly stood up. It didn't take long for him to see it too.  
  
"There it is..." Shock whispered.  
  
Suspended in mid air, like a sick sort of trophy for anyone to see, was the same fan that had shredded what was known as Oogie Boogie. His putrid smell still lingered, not at all hindered by time, along with the dull grayish-brown sack like material that had been his skin. Though now it was a tangle of tattered cloth and string.  
  
"Well, we got our work cut out for us!" Shock said, getting over the initial surprise of the grisly sight. Lock eyed her like she was nuts. "I'm not touchin' that! Nu uh!"  
  
Barrel piped in as well. "Yeah, besides how are we going to bring Oogie back with that?"  
  
"Do I have to do everything!?" Shock snapped, determination flashing in her little black eyes. "It's just...all messed up..." Lock mused, staring at the shredded sack.  
  
Shock just smiled rather nastily. "Well, it's a good thing I have a plan then, isn't it?"  
  
She didn't give the boys time to respond. "It's real good, but to pull it off, I'm going to need your help. This is IT. The REAL DEAL! I'm going to bring Oogie back so we can get things back the way they were. Are you going to help or not?" her voice was swift and determined like that of a blade cutting through a jack-o-lantern.  
  
The boys sat doumbfounded for a moment then slowly, like butter melting across toast, wicked smiles spread on their faces. They exchanged brief glances then looked back to Shock and declared simaltaneously, "Let's do it!"  
  
The casino like torture chamber, usually dormant with only the sound of a rat or two scuttling around, became very much alive that night with the sound of evil giggles. 


	4. Another World

Dream a Little Nightmare  
By: Laney Sanchez  
  
Note: Before anyone asks (if anyone is wondering), this character is not based upon myself. I wanted to write a character who was complex in that she was a little mentally unbalanced, but yet it was in a way that the readers could sympathize with her. As far as appearances go, she IS however based on a good friend of mine. So now you know. Let me know how I do.  
  
( \/ ) Chapter Four ( \/ )  
o Another World o  
  
The girl stared out the window. It was a stupid thing to do, but nonetheless she did it more than she would've liked to. It wasn't like anything changed. Same bland, unchanging scenery. The dirty field across from her house was positively dull with dead weeds and random scraggly trees. It'd have been one thing if it was black, or even green, but brown was just so boring. It made her tired. What's worse, is that it made her long just that much more, for that which she couldn't have.  
  
Beyond the small lot, she could easily see busy streets with ever changing stop lights and cars galore. From her window, at night, it even looked like a parade of lights.  
She chuckled to herself. She really needed to get out more.  
  
"Ah, easier said than done..." she mused, talking to herself as she was accustomed to doing lately. She had become her own best friend since she became home schooled.  
  
She walked to the mirror and stared back at her reflection. She often found it funny. Many had called her "pretty." Even "beautiful" sometimes. She still failed to see it. She just couldn't see what everyone else did. To her, the geeky girl with character shirts and glasses, and a boy's haircut still looked back at her, sad and lonesome as ever. The only difference was now she had matured to that of a seventeen year old girl. She had traded in the glasses and stupid shirts for perfectly wavy hair that was both brown and red at once with blonde highlights. Also, she now had contacts. No more hideous glasses. However, she still saw the same face. No matter what. The same, desolate brown eyes (which everyone else said were striking), the same child like face.  
  
While her face was okay, she was still rather short. Puberty had given her curves, a chest one size too big for her figure, and about five feet of height. She looked away from the mirror, tired of analyzing herself. "My, my isn't puberty kind...?" she muttered without enthusiasm.   
  
She considered herself special in one way only. She had the imagination and demeanor of a six year old. She saw magic in things other people simply did not. Most teenagers, when they became bored, called up their friends and hung out, or partied, or went driving in their oh-so-fabulous cars. She had never bothered with that because she'd have rather played video games or watched movies, or read books. Anything that allowed her to escape to a reality that she so longed for, but was beyond her grasp.  
  
However, that childlike demeanor had also been a bit of a curse. It was probably the same thing that always hindered her from getting done what she needed to (the need to play instead of work) and more importantly, it was the thing that had led to her disability to continue schooling among her peers. She simply didn't fit in. It had become so hard, day by day, pretending to be someone she wasn't. So much so, that eventually she gave up all together. It didn't matter what she'd do. She'd never be the social flower her parents wanted her to be.  
  
A bitter stab hit her in the heart as she walked down the stairs. "Yep, that'd be me. The biggest disappointment," she said softly. The memory of the previous days events with her parents, left her cold, and happy that they had left for out of town business. She wouldn't have to deal with them for a whole week! "Happy happy joy joy!" she said with a snicker.  
  
She hopped down one step and immediately spotted the item she was currently looking for. "Aha!" she cried triumphantly and ran over, seizing what appeared to be a small, slightly dirty, skull doll plushie.  
  
"As long as I have you Creepers, I'll be just fine. Besides, you won't call me nuts...would you?"  
  
The doll gave no response except for the same skeletal face he always made. She smiled and allowed a brief giggle to escape her lips. "Nope. Didn't think so..."  
  
Her eyes eventually drifted to the stack of papers at the edge of the living room coffee table. The papers were different colors, with small writing on them. "I probably ought to do my homework..." she muttered, staring at it as if it were diseased with the worst plague the world had ever known.  
  
She turned to the small little skull doll, which she had propped up against a vase on the coffee table. "I should, but you know me..." she said with a smirk. She crawled over, and promptly switched the TV to on. She'd disappear to another one of her fantasy worlds, just for a bit. Then as usual she'd lose track of time, and spend the whole night, from dusk until dawn, doing work which was due the next day. Wearing herself out.  
  
"Ah..." she giggled to herself, almost laughing at the painstaking hours of work that were ahead. "Isn't life just grand?" she added with a snort of sarcasm. 


	5. Stranded?

Dream a Little Nightmare  
By: Laney Sanchez  
  
Note: First of all, lemme thank Lady Skellington. Thanks for your review =D  
It means a lot! Actually, the beats are made up in my head and I'm not very good at making MIDIs. So unfortunatly, the tunes will probably never be heard. Sorry!  
Also, it's my only review! For anyone who's reading this and lurking, please review! Even if it stinks! Let me know so therefore I know what to improve!   
  
ALSO, I know this started off really slow but I promise that it will get better. Hopefully with this chapter. To see a picture of Poe, Jack and Sally's son, go here:   
http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/pubimage.asp?id_=890656   
  
It's just a quick little piece I conjured up on the windows paint program. It's decent, but obviously not Picasso. Okay, enough. On with the story.  
  
  
( \/ ) Chapter 5 ( \/ )  
o Stranded? o  
  
Jack Skellington stood in front of a long, black hinged mirror. He had paused to survey himself for a moment. He looked his reflection up and down. He was adorned in his usual fine, pinstriped suit. He was especially fond of this suit, and in his opinion, it just defined him as the Pumpkin King. He adjusted his bow tie, making sure it was just right. After he was satisfied, he flashed a skeletal smile at the mirror.  
  
"I got that pus filled slug you were looking for..."  
  
Jack turned his head to see Poe standing in the doorway. He held out a medium sized metal box. The box was sturdy and was kept together by thick bolts at the sides and corners. Jack clapped his hands together. "Perfect! You found it!" he said enthusiastically, and took the box from Poe's hand.   
  
Poe just nodded blatantly.   
  
"Are you ready to go?" Jack asked, looking back to his son for the go ahead. For the night, Poe had lost the black suit. He found it was too stuffy and uncomfortable. He had to give his father credit for wearing one at all. Tonight, he wore a black jacket, which opened at the middle to reveal a black shirt beneath it. The small cuffs of the jacket were blood red. To top it off at his collar, was his favorite pumpkin brooch. His pants were midnight black, completed with two thick, rough looking buckles. One across his bony leg and one around his waist. For footwear, he wore rather clunky boots that were definitely one size too big. They made him look rather awkward, but that was okay with him.  
  
For a moment, Poe considered his father's question. WAS he ready to go? Granted, it was his first official Halloween going to the human to scare with his father. It should have had his bones shaking with excitement, but it didn't. From what he could gather from the previous years' gossip, the human world looked pretty similar to Halloween town on Halloween. Which made obvious sense. Either way, it was nothing new to him.   
  
"I guess..." Poe muttered. Jack frowned, losing the toothy grin. He approached Poe and put a single hand on his shoulder. "Whatever is the matter? You look so down..."  
  
Poe snapped out of his thoughts. He looked up into his father's face to see a look of genuine concern. He forced a big smile. He might not get a kick out of Halloween, but he loved his father, and his plight was no excuse to ruin everything for him, nor dash his hopes.  
  
"Nothing! Let's go get 'em!" Poe said, quickly brushing away his father's worries with a smile. Jack's face lit up immediately, like a small child's. "That's the spirit!" he said, with a wave of his arm.   
  
However, the wave was a bit ill planned, as it swiftly knocked Poe's head from his shoulders. Jack immediately winced in an apologetic manner. Poe's head rolled to his father's feet, staring up. Jack made a nervous smile. "Sorry about that son..."  
  
Poe's body heaved an invisible sigh. Poe himself, fought back the annoyance and just forced another smile. However, this one was less convincing than the last.   
  
"Can we just...get going?"  
  
***  
  
She couldn't help the small tears that rolled down her face. It was useless to cry, and in the back of her head she had known this was going to happen. However, stupidly, another part of her had just been hoping against all probability that it wouldn't.  
  
Her best friend, and probably her only, in the whole wide world, had canceled their Halloween plans. Things simply didn't work out (as she had suspected they were going to) and thus, any plans they had weren't made concrete. Now, on Halloween night, the only night that ever gave her an air of utter freedom, she was alone. It was now just another night, no different from the other three hundred and sixty-four nights of the year. She would spend it dreaming of possibilities and hating the lack of anything to do.   
  
What made her cry, was simply that tonight was NOT the night to be dreaming. It was THE night she should've been out and about. The one night she could fit in with any group, just because it was the one night were it was okay to be an oddball.  
  
She angrily wiped at her eyes with her hands. She loathed crying. She would've rather dressed as a big pink dinosaur for Halloween, rather than cry.   
  
"Stop crying..." she muttered to the cold, white walls of her suburban home. She stood up and drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to shake off the emotional turmoil that was welling up within her chest. She sat down on the couch but finally she could no longer hold back. It was if the small dam within her heart had given way, allowing the river of tears to continue to flow. She gave in, sobbing heavily with only the empty house, and the few measly Halloween lights to bare witness.  
  
***  
"So, that's the plan?" Poe asked, making small talk as he followed his father to a rather small, pumpkin shaped door. Jack nodded, knocking in a series of knocks which sounded like ... Jingle Bells?  
  
"Father..." Poe said earnestly and shot his father a look. Jack shrugged helplessly. Poe sighed. Like Halloween, his father had a queer obsession of some other holiday called "Christmas." Poe knew the songs and stories that accompanied this holiday (as his father had INSISTED upon telling him on multiple occasions). However, Poe didn't grasp the concept and nor did he care to.   
  
"Yes, and it'll be a scream!" he said, ushering his son through the door. Poe couldn't help but feel a bit doubtful. It really didn't sound too different from the previous plans of the previous years.   
  
As Poe stepped through the door, was greeted with blackness. He frowned deeply. "Father there's nothi-"  
  
Poe turned just in time to see his father shut the door. Blackness engulfed him completely, like a wave of vile water crashing in on him. It had become so black, that he could no longer see his hand, much less his father. It made him a bit unnerved.  
  
"What's the point of this?" he asked skeptically.   
  
No response.   
  
"Father?" Poe asked curiously. Yet again, he was met with silence. Something wasn't right. Poe knew something of wrong by the feeling he had. It was a feeling that rose up in his bones. A feeling of utter dread. He immediately began feeling around, but his fingertips caressed only the nothingness that the darkness provided.   
  
It was then, that panic struck him. Something HAD gone wrong. It was the obvious at this point. What if he had ventured beyond the world he was meant to have gone, and became stranded in another? Granted, he HAD wished to see another world, but eternal darkness was not what he had in mind. 


	6. A Wish Fulfilled?

Dream a Little Nightmare

By: Laney Sanchez

Note: I've forgotten the disclaimer for the past five chappies, so here goes. 

In a dream I had, I visited Halloween Town

Everything was perfect! Normal had gone upside down!

I chatted with Jack and danced with ghouls!

Life was dandy! It was a place without rules.

However, one little item of information left me hurtin'

The whole story of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" belonged to Tim Burton. =( 

There you go. Disclaimer ala Poem. However, I own Poe and the "girl", as she has not been named yet 

Lastly, thanks go to Amp for the lovely review! I only wish I could write like you! =O

I'm glad you think Poe is darling. He clearly has a lot of his father in him, wouldn't you say? ^.^

( \/ ) Chapter 6 ( \/ )

o A Wish Fulfilled? o

            The darkness had become somewhat of a nuisance to Poe Skellington. It would have been one thing if his father had been with him, but the fact alone that his father had mysteriously vanished, made him _very_ uneasy. He hoped more than a ghoul without their grave that his father was okay.

            Poe allowed a disgusted moan to escape past his mouth, and began to prod the darkness some more with his hands. He felt for something, **anything**, that would prove useful. Then, it was as if Lady Luck had decided to cut him a break. His hands fell upon something solid, sturdy and smooth. He allowed his hands to run up and down the object before moving them side to side. His hand fell over a new object. This object was small, yet round and rather cold. He gripped it and wiggled it back and forth. To his surprised, it revealed a door, which opened with a small creak from the hinges. 

            Poe pushed the door open a bit further, giving him an eyeful of what lie in front of him. The place he had stumbled upon was certainly interesting. He couldn't tell if it was a room, or a junkyard. Perhaps it was both? All around were what appeared to be clothing. Here and there were pants and shirts. Perhaps in this world, it was a custom on Halloween to scatter clothes about? Poe chuckled softly. Now that just seemed silly.

            Upon closer inspection, other items lay on the ground as well. Small, shiny cases with vivid, colorful pictures on the front. Poe reached down and picked one up. It appeared to be created of some sort of glass. He turned it around, eyeing it's square shaped figure. He held it by the edge and read along the line. The words made absolutely no sense to him at all. Then, much to his surprise, a single flap fell open and it opened up down the center. He held it open and marveled at it's contents. Inside was a round, silvery object, which made beautiful rainbow colors when the light hit. It was truly magnificent to eyes that were accustomed to blacks and grays.

            Poe closed the case and decided to keep it with him. It'd make a nice little souvenir for later. In a corner of the room, lay a pile of fuzzy objects. Poe didn't bother with any of them just in case they decided to come to life and pick a fight. On a nearby little table, stood a vase. Inside the vase was the most curious object he had ever encountered. With two fingers he delicately picked it up by it's thin green stem. It was a flower, but a most unusual one. It wasn't in a form of decay, or gray or even a pumpkin blossom. It was a magnificent shade of red that simply made his eyes dance. However, on the stem was a small, rectangular object. He ran his thumb over it, and to his surprise it lit the red petals aglow.  Poe allowed a small gasp to escape from his mouth. He could hardly believe his eyes. Had his wishes and dreams come true? 

            Poe set the small flower back into the vase. His skull felt so full. Full with all the little, yet wondrous things he had discovered within the last few minutes. Then again it was full with questions galore. How had this happened? Was it even possible? What if he was dreaming? That had to be it. Perhaps he had fainted when he had walked through the door. Poe considered this until the thought of fainting in front of his father made him feel a little indignant. He was never known for fainting and besides that, he would never dream of doing so in front of his father.

            "Then what happened?" he asked aloud in a soft voice. It was then, that a small noise, not a crash or a bang, from below the room, made Poe snap out of his reverie. It had been his experience (especially when living your life in Halloween town) that odd little noises were better left alone. Usually, it was a ghoul just practicing their scares. On an occasion or two, it had been those little heathens, Lock, Shock and Barrel. However, now that just didn't seem to be a possibility and Poe's curiosity was rapidly getting the better of him.

            He gracefully, yet slowly, crept across piles of clothes and various other items until he left the room. Now he was in a hallway, rather bland, with gray carpet and white walls. The only thing between him and the noise, was a flight of stairs. For a very brief moment, he felt his common sense kick him in the back of his skull. What if this was some sort of trap? It seemed unlikely. After all, who in Halloween town had a vendetta against the Skellington family? 

            "Well, this clearly isn't Halloween town, now is it?" he thought to himself. That was that. His mind was set. He'd never know unless he went downstairs. Besides, his options were severely limited at that point in time. He could either stand there forever, twiddling his fingers and toying around with the interesting objects he'd found. Or, there was the option of just going downstairs before whatever it was that made the noise came upstairs. 

            "What to choose…?" he muttered softly, and began to descend the staircase.

            Her dreams were always so weird. Most of the time they were simply places, people and things that she knew of mashed together in no particular order. Other times, when they did make sense, they scared the hee-bee-jee-bees out of her. What if they were to become real? She sighed and ran a hand along her forehead to find that it was slightly clammy with a cold sweat. She struggled to remember two things at once that had decided to plague her mind since she had awoken. The first, being, what had happened. She remembered her little crying fit and the Halloween that had been lost to her. She felt a sharp, steady stab of pain to her chest that adhered itself for a few lingering moments. She quickly pushed the thoughts away and moved onto her second order of business that was bothering her. It was her little dream she'd had. In the dream, she was calling out to someone. There were so many faces yelling things at her. The voices came from all sides. Top, bottom, left and right. She couldn't place what they were yelling, because it had all blended into a gigantic blur, like someone had turned on a reality blender and pushed frappe'. She remembered holding out her hand, crying, and then-

 A skeletal face staring back at her.

She blinked, once. Twice. Then one more time just to be sure her eyes weren't being funny on her. She stared at the face, and the face stared back at her. No, it wasn't a face. It was a _skull. _She slowly closed her eyes. It was okay, because it was obvious that this was still her dream. It was that simple. She giggled lightly. To think she had thought there was a real skeleton staring back at her with…interest? "Right, this is the part where I find out that Creepers has grown to a height of six feet…" she said softly, failing to keep the amusement out of her voice.

She slowly opened her eyes once she had vindicated her initial surprise. It WAS a dream, and nothing more. She smiled pleasantly. "Why hello there six foot Creepers!" she chortled with a cheesy grin. "I suppose you're here to tell me of my impending doom," she said with a brief giggle. As she wiped at her eyes, something caught her line of vision. At her side, lay her favorite little skull doll. The same doll she had purchased herself after seeing that it's little face always made her smile. 

The same skull doll she had affectionately dubbed, "Creepers."

She didn't bother looking over, for she knew very much now, that this was **not** a dream. She had a skeleton staring back at her and it was very much real.


	7. Nameless

Dream a Little Nightmare

By: Laney Sanchez

Note: To quote Jack himself, "Thank you! Thank you!" Heehee. This goes to Wafflecat and Lady Skellington. I'm honored you took the time to review my story Skellington. Means a lot. And Waffle, I'm glad you like the story! You know, Jack with children is just so appealing. It's prolly why so many people use the idea. BTW Milk is adorable! ^.^

( \/ ) Chapter 7 ( \/ )

o Nameless o

Blanched, white and eyeless. That was the only words that could describe the odd being staring back upon the girl. She swallowed hard. She had to stay calm. It didn't appear to want to harm her. Surely if it wanted to, it would have already, wouldn't it? She swallowed back a long terrified scream that had been steadily crawling it's way up her throat. If she screamed and it became alarmed, it might try and hurt her. Nope, screaming was a no go. Then again, she could always try to just make conversation. "_Now that's rather dumb…do you honestly believe skeletons talk? NO! They don't talk! They scare people! Then when they scare you, they **EAT **you!" _

The little mental nagging made her chuckle. She hardly doubted that skeletons ate at all. She took a deep breath, mentally calming her screaming inner child. 

"Do you speak?" it asked, looking at her with the most perplexed stare. For a moment, all she could do was gawk. Was she really about to have a conversation with a skeleton, in her living room no less? After a moment she realized that it was waiting for an answer.

She straightened up. _"Don't let it see your fear! They can **smell **fear, ya know!" _he inner child warned. She quickly brushed the voice off her mind. "Yes…I speak…"

"You're a mortal, am I right?" the skeleton asked, curiously. It took one step to her right. It watched her as if she were a bug under a microscope. She eyed it right back. "I'm a **human**."

"You have fingers and hair…!" it exclaimed, reaching out to touch her curls gently. She delicately took his hand and moved it away from her hair. The feel of his bones made her shudder. It was just too weird. He continued to gawk at her, un-phased by her anxiety. "And eyes!" 

That was the last straw as he leaned his face forward and his eyeless skull stared back into her. "Okay…! Time o-"

"Such…beauty…" he breathed softly. The girl stopped, momentarily caught off guard. "I beg your pardon?"

"I've just never seen eyes like yours. They sparkle…" he said softly, studying her face. She felt her cheeks heat up. It produced an immediate reaction from the voice in her head. _"No! NO NO NO! You feel flattered by a skeleton!? Gah! I TOLD you to stay away from that Halloween cake! Not only did it SMELL bad, it looked bad too! But who just HAD to eat the cake?! Huh?!"_

_"Oh, shut up…" _she muttered back mentally. Only then did she realize she was staring. She shook herself free of her mental battle and looked back to the skeleton. She gently pushed it back a little. "Do…" she hesitated for a brief moment, but it's curious glance pushed her to continue. "Do you have a name?"

Then, if it was even possible, the skeleton looked angry with itself. "Of course. I'm sorry…" he apologized. He gave a slight bow, remembering the manners his father had taught him since he could remember. "Poe Skellington."

"Poe?" she asked hopeful. At least it had a name…

She stopped herself. For a moment, she stared back into the dark sockets of his skull. It was odd. She had a sort of feeling fall over her, one that was hard to describe. She couldn't quite rationalize the situation, but she was never good at rationalizing anyway. Besides that, something about the skeleton almost seemed…human. 

It-no, "He", she corrected herself, wasn't too bad for a skeleton. She finally found herself relaxing. She just had to stop over analyzing the situation and let it flow. If it was a dream, so be it. If not, that was okay too. 

Just as long as he didn't try to eat her.

~*~

            Poe stared back at the mortal with intense curiosity. He had been brought up with the ideas that humans were supposed to **fear** skeletons. However, this one in particular, didn't show fear of any sort. If it was _were _scared, it hid it very well. 

            "Where do you come from, Poe?"

            He considered it's question for a moment. Was it even smart to mention Halloween town? He racked his skull, yet never could he remember anyone ever telling him that it was forbidden to mention Halloween town to mortals. Even so, perhaps, just maybe, this mortal might know how to get him home. It was a long shot, but he had to try.

            "Halloween town."

            "Halloween _town_?" it asked incredulously. He noted that the look in it's eyes lit up with interest. Interest, however there was also curiosity. This meant that it probably had no idea that Halloween town even existed. No idea, until he had mentioned it of course. He sighed. 

            "You mean, there's a TOWN?!"

            "Of course!" he said, slightly annoyed. Granted, this place and this mortal was interesting, but he couldn't ignore the bug of worry that was gnawing away at him. Was his father okay? What if he couldn't get back? Could they even find a way to track him?

            "Could…you tell me more?"

            The question caught him off guard. More? Why on the moon, would it want to know more about Halloween town? He weighed the question for a moment. He had already informed her of it's existence, so he highly doubted it would hurt to tell her the rest. "Well, it's not really that special…"

            "Tell me anyway!" it insisted. Poe thought deeply. "Well, just about everywhere you go, there's pumpkins. Big ones, thin ones, happy ones, sad ones. There's also cats and rats and bats even. The town itself, has a fountain but the water is green. We have a mayor and of course it's home to the whole population of ghouls and ghosts. To put it simply, it's the very heart of the spirit of Halloween," he explained. He looked back to the mortal's face. They looked absolutely enchanted. He couldn't imagine why.

            He then decided that he was tired of referring to it as "it". He stepped in front of her and examined her closely. "Do _you _have a name?" 

            The mortal looked surprised by this question and after a brief moment it nodded. 

             ~*~

            "Nameless."

            Poe looked at her very quizzically. "Your name is 'Nameless'?"

            She nodded. She didn't really know WHY she had just lied. Maybe it was the fact that he was a skeleton. Or then again, there was the fact that it just sounded better than her real name. Either way, what he didn't know certainly wouldn't kill him.

            She gave a confirming nod. "Nameless."

            "Well, Nameless, why are you so interested in Halloween town? Believe me, it's nothing great…" he asked with a skeptical look. She looked down.

            "I…just love Halloween. It's the one time of the year where I can be accepted…" she said softly, as if confessing her most deepest secret. Poe then noted the look upon her face. Was it sadness? He frowned, feeling a slight stab of guilt for making her eyes cloud with such a look of sorrow.

            "Accepted?" he asked gently. 

            She nodded slowly. "I don't get along with many people…"

            Poe looked away. He knew that story. In fact, he knew it all too well. "Well, try living in the shadow of the great, all loved, Pumpkin King…" he muttered, a bit more bitterly than he would have liked. Nameless looked up at him. It her was her turn to be perplexed. "Pumpkin King?"

            "My father. The Pumpkin King is sort of like the center of Halloween town. He's even more influential than the Mayor, not that that's a hard thing to accomplish…" he said with an exasperated look. Nameless still looked confused. "Do you…hate your father?"

            "Not at all. It's just that, I don't get along with people. I wish I did, because then maybe I'd be the Pumpkin Prince and maybe, I could live up to my father's infamy. However, Halloween just doesn't mean that much to me…" he said, looking down and closing his eyes. 

            Nameless tilted her head slightly. "I think Halloween town sounds great…"

            Poe shot her a look. "Well, try living there every day of your life…"

            She sighed, looking towards the window. "You try living HERE every day of your life…" she shot back, looking rather hatefully at the window. "Politics, school, work…There's no room for people with impossible dreams like mine. What's more, it's not even accepted. If you have a dream, it's like you're a freak or something…"

            Poe looked at her as if she had completely gone batty. "Are you out of your head? It's wondrous here! Such things, that I've only _dreamed _about!" he said, taking on a dreamy sort of look. Nameless gave a small snort. "Big deal. I'd give it all up for one day in your Halloween town…" she said softly, turning her eyes back to the ground. It was then, seeing the sad look in her eyes once more, that Poe understood. She was _just like him_. What's more, she was right. This world probably wouldn't be so glamorous to one who was an outcast and had lived there since they were created. He couldn't help but feel a sort of kinship with her at that very moment. He had never dreamed that he would find another world quite like this within his grasp. What's more, he had never dreamed he would find someone who had shared the same longing as him.

            For the moment, all he could do was smile and feel a great appreciation towards Nameless.


	8. A Friendship Between A Skeleton and A Gi...

Dream a Little Nightmare

By: Laney Sanchez

Note: Ah, it's 2:06 in the morning and on I continue to write. Ain't life grand?

( \/ ) Chapter 8 ( \/ )

    o A Friendship Between a Skeleton and a Girl o

            He had been wrong. Dreadfully wrong. This was far from being the best Halloween ever. Not even more than a minute through the door that connected the two worlds, and he had already lost Poe. Jack Skellington was mentally cursing himself. How could he have been so careless? How could he have been so _irresponsible!? _Poe didn't even know how to get home!

            Jack had quickly abandoned his dreams of Halloween glory, immediately returning to Halloween town. Something had to be done fast and Halloween would just have to miss it's yearly visit from the Pumpkin King. It was that simple because it would only be one night that Poe could spend peacefully in the mortal world before the mortal population would begin to **clearly** notice. After Halloween, Poe would be breaking just about every law there was in Halloween town.

            Only briefly had he debated on informing Sally of Poe's disappearance. He had hurriedly decided that there was no need. With any luck, and Dr. Finkelstein's aid, he would have Poe back safe and sound before Halloween was over. No one would ever know. 

            That was, with luck and deep down Jack knew he'd need **a lot** of luck.

            Poe examined the small object. It was weak structured and rather crumbly, but he found it oddly interesting. "So it's a kooky?"

            Nameless shook her head, quickly correcting him. "No. COOK-IE!"

            "Well, it's basically the same as what we have in Halloween town, except these don't snarl at you when you pick one up…" Poe said, still considering the cookie in his hand. Nameless snickered. "I'd like to see that. Cookies snarling…"

            Poe shook his head. "No, Kookies," he said, smiling at the chance to correct her for a change. Nameless didn't look at all bothered by the correction. In fact, she looked rather intrigued.

            "So they're called 'Kookies'?" Nameless asked, enjoying the idea. Poe nodded once, still thoroughly examining the cookie. Nameless then snickered again. "Kookies…interesting…"

            Poe smiled and took a light bite from the cookie. His face positively beamed as if he had just experienced the best possible thing in the world. "This is wonderful! It's sweet! It's…so soft…"

            Nameless began a fit of laughter. "Yeah, it's also sugar. Almost anything with sugar is good."

            Poe looked confused. "Sooger?" 

Nameless beamed at him. It was hard not to like Poe. In many ways, he was like a little child experiencing the world for the first time. Everything was wonderful and new to him, nothing was trivial or old. Nameless decided that the best way to show him was through demonstration. "Alright. Look. See this?" she asked as she used a hand to gesture to a tubby round clay pot. The pot looked friendly in Poe's opinion. There was no razor sharp teeth or yellow beady eyes on it anywhere. It was painted white with fine red apples, unlike in Halloween town where everything was cold steel or black. Poe noted that in fact, there was a ninety-percent chance that the apples would've been pictured as decayed and rotting, rather than red and juicy. 

            "Well, if you lift this up…" Nameless demonstrated, lifting the lid and interrupting his current thought. "You found the sugar. It's the main ingredient in lotsa stuff," she explained. She enjoyed watching his face light up further (if possible). "Quaint…" Poe whispered. He took a pinch of sugar, sampling it. Nameless smiled, but turned away heading back for the living room. 

            "Poe, if I may ask, how'd you get here?" she asked, approaching the window. The question had just tumbled out of her mouth. In fact, she was a little surprised at how casually they were with speaking to each other. It struck her as just a little comedic. 

            "Throo da door…"

            "I didn't hear you…"

            Poe repeated himself. "Ah shaid, ah came throo da door."

            "I still can't-" Nameless looked to the ceiling, almost immediately after she turned to face him. It was all she could from not rolling on the floor with laughter. Poe had the whole sugar container in his arm and was steadily scooping handfuls of sugar into his mouth. She didn't even know how a skeleton could eat sugar by the handful, but it was a funny site none the less. (*If Jack can eat snow, then I figure Poe can eat sugar ^-^)

            "Wash wong?" Poe asked, apparently onto another scoop.

            Nameless just smiled and shook her head. She couldn't deny that apart of her was having a lot of fun with Poe and showing him all the "new" things, but another part of her was also very much bothered. She couldn't help feeling a little jealous. More so than that, she felt just a small pinch of anger. Poe didn't value his world at all. She would've given up her _life, _as she'd known it, to simply have _one_ day in a town like Halloween town.

            "Nameless!"

            "Wha-?! What!?" she snapped, probably sounding a bit harsher than she would've liked to. Poe looked a little taken back, but then gave her a suspicious look. "I called your name four times…"

            "I got things on my mind…" she said with a nonchalant shrug and turned back to the window. Poe tilted his head slightly. "Oh? Like what? What could a mortal in a world like _this, _have to worry about?" he said with an amused chuckle. Nameless turned her head over her shoulder and shot him a very dirty look. The little "pinch" of anger had just grown to a giant size within her heart.

            *

            "On and on about your town you jabber, just chatting all away. Here stands you and here stands me and do you REALIZE THAT'S WHAT I DREAM OF EVERY **DAY**!?" she said, not bothering to keep her tone down. Poe shot her a look. 

            "Why's that?" he asked, still amused.

            "Why not?" she shot back, giving him an annoyed glare.

            Poe turned her completely around. "Let me tell you something, something very true. There's your opinion and here's mine. I'd give my left arm just to live in the world that you do!"

            Poe walked over to her TV, running a single hand along it. "Such things, such marvels you cannot comprehend. Sugar, color, lights so bright! Well, forgive me if I'm sick of gloom and doom around every single bend!"

            Nameless rolled her eyes. She wasn't impressed. Poe moved on to the table, picking up a single silver fork. "Look! Just look at the objects everywhere! Different, new, improved! Well, forgive me if I'd take your place here and not there…" he said with a slightly disgusted sneer.

            "Why's that?" Nameless asked, trying to get a decent answer out of him. Poe took a step forward. "Why not?"

            He continued. "Let me tell you something, something is simply quite true. There's your opinion and here's mine and I'd give my left arm just to live in the world that you do!"

            "That's great, just wonderful, believe me, I'm impressed. It's the same thing day to day! Well, forgive me but it makes me rather depressed!" she shot back, leering at Poe. Poe just crossed his arms, becoming more in thought.

            Nameless moved to the window. "Look! Just look out this window, tell me what do you see? I see dirt, dirt and maybe more brown. I'd give my _life _to be anyone but **_ME!_**"

            Poe frowned, beginning to take this all in. "Why's that?"

            This time, Nameless frowned deeply. "I don't fit in, I'm socially un-elite, and I have outcast written on my right down to my feet…"

            "You know, we're really not so different and now I think I understand, but listen close because I think I have a plan…" Poe said, moving closer to her. Nameless leaned in, intent on hearing it. "Here stands me and here stands you and finally at last I think I know what to do!"

            "Let me tell you something, something simply quite true, you've taught me about this world and now I'm going to do the same for you!"

            "That's great, just- what?"

· (song end)

Poe nodded, taking her hands within his own. "We're not that different at all. You don't fit in your world and I don't fit in with mine, right?"

Nameless frowned. She wasn't quite sure what he was getting at, but apart of her was becoming doubtful already. "Yes…" she agreed softly. 

"Well then! I'll take you back with me! I'm sure no one will notice!" Poe said, smiling with the biggest smile he had ever smiled in a long time. 

"Are you kidding? I'm a human…I'd look…odd…" she confessed, looking away. Apart of her was screaming to just go. It was screaming and mentally kicking her to grab this chance and to run away with Poe to Halloween town. The same part wanted to just scream. Period. It was so much to take in. 

Then there was the part that had to be serious. The part of her brain that she decided she would gladly donate to science because it served her absolutely no use except to ruin her excitement. However, as much as she hated it right now, it had a bad habit of being right.

"Odd…" Poe laughed, giving her hands a light squeeze. Nameless still found it a bit eerie feeling, but she smiled none the less. "Nameless, that's what Halloween town **_IS_**! It's ODD!"

Nameless looked away and smiled. He had a very good point. 

_" You cannot do this! Think of your parents!"_ the sensible side of her brain screamed. Then there was the childish side, which always seemed to win out. _"They suck." _

_"Think of your friend Faith!!"_

_"Poe's my friend now!"_

_"He's a **SKELETON!!!!!**"_

_"Oh…SHUT…**UP!"**_

"Yes!!" Nameless screamed, taking Poe back a bit. Never the less, Poe smiled wide. Nameless blushed a little bit from her outburst, but returned the smile genuinely. If the sensible side had anything else to say, it sure wasn't speaking now. Poe stared back into her eyes and gave her a grin. It was a grin that his father had worn many times as well. The same grin that you wear when you have found something finally worthwhile. "You know, with the way your mortal eyes sparkle, happiness suits you much better," he commented.

Then somehow, in that moment, as weird as it may have seemed, Nameless knew that she had a new friend. She also knew that she would hug this friend, if she didn't have a tremendous fear of breaking him in two.


	9. What Have You Done?

Dream a Little Nightmare

By: Laney Sanchez

Note: Thanks go out to Lady Skellington – I'm glad you're still with the story and I hope it continues to be interesting for you to read  Also, I agree. Poe is a lot like his father, but he's also got Sally's shyness =) 

And Amp – Fan art would be lovely if you have time! I'm currently in the process of making a website for **all **ofmy fan fiction works, including this one. So it'd be delightful to have fan art for it! I'd post it up for sure ^___^

And Isis – Thanks for the review. It's cool you can relate with Nameless. I do in some ways, but not entirely =\

Also, Happy Halloween! Actually it's officially ended here (…I watched the clock hit 12:00 =( ) but I felt it appropriate to wish you all a Happy Halloween anyhow. Hope you had fun =D

For being the Pumpkin King, Jack is sure slacking. He didn't visit my house all night. Phooey. ¬.¬

Anyway, one last note is that I have written the end to this story. In the end, Nameless' real name is revealed. However, I cannot for the life of me, think of a good name. So here's the little plan I cooked up. If this story gets 20 reviews (notice I said "**_IF"_**) I will let the person who posted the 20th review, choose a name for her. It could be their own name or one they have made up. Otherwise, if this doesn't reach 20 reviews, I'll just choose it. I don't think that's asking too much (BTW the end isn't for awhile. I often write the end to my stories ahead of time.). Anyway, on with the story.

( \/ ) Chapter 9 ( \/ )

    o "What Have You Done…?" o

            Poe followed Nameless up the staircase. He had explained his trip, how he had arrived and finally, his plight, after he had finished the last of the sugar. Nameless had been quick to reason that perhaps, if he did the same thing that his father had done to bring him here, maybe it would bring him back. Poe agreed that it was worth a try, though he had to wonder if it was **that** easy. Even if it did work, he wasn't entirely sure how to get Nameless back with him. He had promised to take her to Halloween town and he meant to fulfill his promise, one way or another. 

            Besides that, in all truth, Poe had grown to like Nameless. She was almost…cute. She had a tendency to find joy in many small things and she made him smile (something he had rarely done for a while back in Halloween town). Plus, he had never quite met someone like her. Though she clearly wasn't a little child, she still acted like one in many ways. She still had a vivid imagination, which he rapidly discovered as she described the many uses for a head if you could remove it, namely his. Then there was the apparent fact of her restless spirit. Her wanting to escape the every day norms of her world. It was a similar wanting that was akin to his own, and he found it a little comforting to have someone, dead or alive, who truly understood how he felt. His favorite feature about her, and perhaps all mortals had it, was her eyes. He simply could not get past the emotion they could portray. They almost sparkled when she was happy and vice versa, they became very dark when she was sad. He had never known a mortal before, so maybe this was a common thing.

            Once the pair reached the top of the stairs, a soft patter on the carpet made Nameless turn around. She and Poe both turned their gazes to see that the silver object Poe had been toting around with him had fallen to the floor near Poe's foot. 

            "That's my CD!" she exclaimed as she quickly snatched it up from the carpet. Poe looked puzzled and yet intrigued. Once again, she had managed to pique his interest, as she had many times that night. "CD?" he asked in marvel. Nameless just nodded and gingerly opened the case. "Yes, and it happens to be one of my favorites," she explained, using a tone that was similar to that you would use with a small child. She then tilted her head slightly and confusion shone in her eyes. "Why did you have this?"

            Poe smiled and snatched the CD back. "Look…" he said, and walked into her room. The room was almost totally coated with darkness, save a few small moonbeams that seeped through her dusty blinds. Poe knelt on one knee and tilted the disc ever so slightly. The wall beneath the window then became alive with a rainbow that almost danced as Poe tilted the CD. 

            Nameless just shook her head and smiled. "Yeah, it is pretty…" she agreed, almost dazedly as her eyes fixed on the rainbow. Poe smiled at her for a moment. He was becoming fairly good at reading her expressions, but he found it rather hard to read what she was feeling now. Was it sadness? Longing? He couldn't quite place it.

            Suddenly Nameless snapped out of staring. "Pretty, but that's not what it's for…" she said, busting his bubble. Nameless walked over and kneeled beside Poe, taking the disc from his hand. Beside her knee was an odd shaped box, which was black and a little rounded at the ends. All over it were various knobs and buttons. It reminded Poe of something he might see in Dr. Finkelstein's lab, though he had only been there once or twice. Dr. Finkelstein made him uneasy. Something about his lab produced the same eerie feeling result within Poe's soul.

            Nameless pushed a button, and to Poe's wonder, the top slowly drifted open. She gently set the disc within and closed the top with her hand. Then she pushed another button and turned one last knob. It was really quite intriguing and Poe had to give her credit for being able to operate the machine. It looked rather complicated.

            However, the best was yet to come. Nameless shot Poe a grin and turned the knob up a bit. Suddenly the air became filled with the most beautiful singing and enchanting music. Poe was in heaven. He smiled, closing his eyes. "It _sounds _so different…"

            "From what?"

            Poe opened his eyes and turned to Nameless. "We have music in Halloween town, of course, but not like this. Mostly it consists of wailing, screeching or booming voices," he explained. Suddenly Poe drew two hands to his chest, as if feeling the pulsing beat of his heart in sheer rapture. He smiled warmly. "And the music…breathtaking…"

            Nameless snickered, putting a single hand to her mouth. Poe smiled at her, though a little uneasy at not knowing the source of her laughter.

            "I don't know if I'd call it 'breathtaking'. We have a lot better music than this, like maybe Opera. This music is called Techno. Mostly, you dance to it…"

            "Opera? Techno?" Poe repeated, testing the words out in his own mouth. Nameless nodded. "Yeah, Techno. You dance to it…"

            "Really? Maybe you could show me!" Poe said with a big grin. Suddenly, an expression came over Nameless that he had **not **seen before. Her face lit up red and her eyes were wide with a look that was similar to fear. For a brief moment, he became suddenly afraid that she would combust. Then she looked away. "I can't…"

            Poe seemed confused. "Why not?"

            "Cause I don't dance. I just _can't_ in front of others…" she explained, looking down in shame.

            Poe suddenly found himself laughing. Nameless shot him a defensive look. "What's so funny?!" 

            Poe held up his hands. "I'm sorry…forgive me. It's just that in Halloween town, everyone dances. Even the Mayor and he –" Poe smiled at her and put a single hand on her shoulder. "Well, believe me. No one could be worse than that bumbling fool…"

            Nameless bit her lip, avoiding Poe's stare. "I don't know…"

            "Come on!" Poe chided. "I'd be honored if you would teach me!"

            Nameless looked at him and the familiar redness had returned however the wide-eyed stare had not. Finally she nodded. "Fine. I'm going to warn you though…I don't get out much. I dance how I want, to the beat," she warned seriously. This just succeeded in upping Poe's intrigue. "I think it's great to do what you want…"

            "Okaaaay…" Nameless muttered and began the lesson. "First…raise your arms…"

            Poe followed, raising his own arms as she raised hers. Nameless smiled and still made sure not to look at him or else she knew she'd probably have to give in to a giggle fit. Here she was, giving dance lessons to a _skeleton_. Dare she ask if this night could get any weirder?

            "What's now?" Poe asked eagerly, standing with his arms in the air. Nameless continued with the lesson. "Well, you hear that thumping sound in the music?" Poe nodded. "Well that's your beat. Just kinda move the rest of your body to it. Like this…" she said, slowing moving her waist and her hips from side to side with the beat. Poe mimicked her movements yet again.

            "Like this?" 

            Nameless looked over just barely, and she knew it had been a mistake. At that moment she busted out laughing. Maybe it was because there was a skeleton attempting to dance to techno, or maybe it was the sheer lunacy of the situation. Either way, it was a pretty funny sight for anyone to behold.

~*~

            "Take this…" muttered the familiar grisly voice of Dr. Finkelstein. With one gloved hand, he placed a small, square object into the palm of Jack's bony hand. The object appeared to be metal, and on it appeared to be a small map, with a blinking blue square (which Jack assumed was Poe's signal). "It should be able to track him, even in the mortal world. I've designed one for all of my creations, ever since that-" he paused, careful to choose his choice of words in the presence of the husband of his ex-creation. "**_Girl _**continuously poisoned me and ran off…" he said sourly. Behind him, Mortalia patted his shoulder.

            Jack smiled apologetically. "Now doctor, Sally's apologized on many different occasions, and besides!" he considered. Suddenly the right words hit him. "If Sally hadn't run off, Mortalia would've never came to be, am I correct?"

            Dr. Finkelstein looked up at Mortalia with a vile, toothy grin. "Yes, I suppose you are my boy…" he confessed, looking back to Jack. Jack just nodded his head. 

            "Go find that boy of yours before it's too late and he gets into **real **trouble," Finkelstein muttered, then turned back to Mortalia. "As for me, take me to my bed chambers. It's been a long night and daddy needs his rest…" he said with a sly grin. Mortalia just smiled knowingly and waved goodbye to Jack, who hurried out of the lab with a forced smile. "Thanks again doctor!" he called, before hurrying out towards the graveyard. For now, he had much more important things to worry about than Dr. Finkelstein's love life.

~*~

            "So you think this will work?" Nameless asked, doing her best to hide her worry. She wasn't necessarily scared. It's just that she had grown to think of Poe as a friend, and the thought of losing him in the vast dimensions of some foreign world, made her insides clench with anxiety.

            Poe looked at the closet hard, as if studying it. "Well, I didn't hang on to my father, so it's possible that that's why we became separated. I'm fairly certain that if you hold on to me, we'll stay together even if we don't make it back to Halloween town. Nameless let a long sigh and simply gave a short nod. She'd just have to trust him, if he was indeed her friend.

            Poe took her hand and she suppressed a shiver that was begging to run down her spine. His hand was so cold, and maybe it was just her opinion, but it was hard to adjust to holding hands with someone whose hand was nothing but bones. Poe walked into the closet, and Nameless followed dubiously. She was excited but she couldn't help but feel the familiar pang of warning in her gut that she got frequently whenever something was going to go wrong.

            Poe closed the door, leaving them in total darkness. He then knocked the same tune of "Jingle Bells" just as his father had. He heard a little giggle come from the girl standing beside him. "Jingle Bells?" she said through snorts of laughter. Poe smiled, though of course she couldn't see it in the dark. "My father's sense of humor…he's-"

            Suddenly the door swung open and light, though very dim, flooded the doorway.

            Poe found himself face to face with none other than his father himself. Jack Skellington.

            "Poe! There you are! You had me so worried!" Jack cried, pulling Poe from the doorway. Poe accidentally released Nameless' hand and for a moment he panicked, afraid he might have lost her. "I'm fine!" Poe assured his father, who worriedly checked him over. "Poe, I'm sorry. It was an irresponsible thing I did-"

            "Father I-"

            "Poe please. Just accept my apology because I-"

            "FATHER!" Poe shouted, interrupting Jack. "What is it Poe?" Jack asked, concerned still. Before Jack could say anything else, Poe ducked his head into the doorway. It was then, at that very moment that Jack's fears about Poe getting into the trouble, were about to become reality. 

            "I want you to meet…" Poe trailed off, as he gently pulled a young girl from the door. "Nameless," he introduced, standing back and smiling at his father. The girl smiled awkwardly and nodded her head.

            It was very fortunate that Jack's jawbone was attached, because had it not been, it surely would've fallen straight to the ground. Poe and the young girl, known as "Nameless", looked at Jack with confusion. The young girl, shrank back a bit, behind Poe.

            Poe gave his father a stern look. "Well, don't be rude. Say something Father…" Poe urged. Jack just shook his head slowly, closing his eyes. "Poe…" he said softly. "What have you done…?"


	10. Absolutely No One Can Know!

Dream a Little Nightmare

By: Laney Sanchez

Note:  Can you look at that!! Yes! Look! Above this little rambling statement…Reviews 11! Some might not say that's a lot but it is to me. Every single review is great and thanks to all of you who have contributed. I got three people to thank. First…

Diamond_dragon thanks for the review! I relate to Nameless in that, I too, am too old for such daydreams and fantasies but my imagination is still spinning with crazy stuff! I'm glad you can relate to her and thanks for R&Ring. You rule! =)

Rocker Baby LOL! One question: Is it possible you want me to write more? Heehee (joking!)

And a big thanks to Suitcase who reviewed AND sent me an e-mail! That was so nice of you to take the time to comment on my story. It really makes a person feel good! I'm glad you consider it one of the best! It brings me endless happy giggles to know that you think I've written the characters accurately and that the new ones fit in! Thanks again! =)

Thanks to everyone! You all made my day and I hope I make this story just as enjoyable as it is now right until the very end!

( \/ ) Chapter 10 ( \/ )

    o "Absolutely No One Can Know!" o

            "I can't see!" Nameless griped beside Poe. She currently was walking with a large brown sack over her that fell over her body from head to toe. This had happened at Jack's request. She remembered the scene quite clearly.

            ~*~

            "What do you mean by that?" Poe had said, seeming rather agitated with his father. Jack put a hand to his skull in a gesture similar to that which someone uses when they have a massive headache. "Never you mind that. Right now…" he paused, then stepped forward to inspect Nameless. "The important thing is that she's not seen. Not until I can figure something out…" 

            Jack tilted his head, as if examining her. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a mortal, but it certainly was a tad bit perplexing that this one wasn't shaking in fear at the very sight of him. Granted, he could see that she was nervous, but she lacked the fear that was usually accompanied with his presence. He tilted his head and the girl did the same. "What did you say her name was?" Jack asked, allowing his curiosity to get the better of him. 

            "Nameless," Poe and Nameless said in conjunction. Jack blinked in surprise then looked from his son and back to the girl. Jack then held out a single bony hand. Nameless reached out and shook it. She made sure to be gentle, less she somehow break the hand of her friend's dad. Somehow she gathered that the Pumpkin King might not like that too much.

            Jack offered her a sympathetic smile. "Nameless, it's a pleasure to meet you and you must excuse my actions, but this is a very serious situation," he explained, looking back into her eyes. Nameless wasn't entirely sure how to respond. 

            Poe then stepped between his father and Nameless, breaking apart the handshake. "Father, what exactly is going on?" Jack eyed his son then put a hand on his shoulder. "It's best that I explain when we get home. As I said, the important thing is to not let anyone see her! Especially the Mayor!"

            Poe snorted lightly in sarcasm before finally giving in to a light chuckle. "What can that bumbling little oaf do? Kick us in the shins?"

            Nameless did her best to stifle a giggle. The idea was kind of humorous, even though she had no idea what the Mayor looked like. Jack shot his son a stern look and Poe immediately wiped the grin from his face. "Well, I still don't understand…"

            Jack held up a single hand, motioning for Poe to wait. He scanned the graveyard carefully, until the exact item he needed came across his viewpoint. It was perfect! "Aha!" 

            Poe blinked and actually found himself, stepping close by Nameless almost as if to shield her. He loved his father but sometimes the ideas he got were a little scary. Poe wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought of his father testing one out on Nameless. 

            Jack slowly approached a short, squat and impish man. The stubbly little man had a round black, bulbous nose and his eyes were droopy, underlined with perfect dark circles. His clothes were patches and perhaps the most striking feature was his right arm, which out grew his stubby normal one. The right arm was scaly with long glinting claws that were an infectious black. Dirt was matted beneath them, which was appropriate, as he was the caretaker of Halloween town's beautiful graveyard.

            "Another addition Dante?" Jack asked with a brief smile. Dante looked up at him, a bit annoyed until he saw just exactly who, it was that was speaking to him. "Jack Skellington, you rascal!" he gushed with a crooked and nasty smile. Jack smiled and nodded. "Long night?"

            "Tedious!" 

            "Splendid news Dante!" Jack said, patting Dante's shoulder, though he had to lean down a bit. Dante nodded proudly then closed his eyes, upon relaxing. "Yep, another long haul. This one will be really interesting, I'm betting. You wait and see!"

            Jack nodded again and tried to not rush the situation, though it was rather urgent. "Yes…yes…" Dante said pleasantly. Then suddenly his serene look faded and his usual sour faced look aimed itself at Jack. "So what do you want?"

            Jack laughed a little, despite the urgency of the situation. That was Dante for you. He never missed a thing. He was rarely (if ever) present at town meetings, but somehow he always managed to stay on top of the news. He really was an intriguing person. Jack mentally reminded himself to ask Dante how he managed. Later of course…

            "Well, I'm in a bit of a hurry and there is some items of important I need to get back to my house. Uh…think you could possibly…" Jack trailed off and his eyes drifted to the rather large, brown sack that Dante was dragging about. Dante smirked and looked directly at Jack. "Halloween directions already?"

            "Exactly!" Jack said, holding up one finger.

            "Rotten baloney!" Dante snapped. Jack winced. He mentally scolded himself for trying to sneak a lie past Dante. He knew full well that lying to Dante was like trying to get a play toy past Zero. It just didn't happen. 

            Jack frowned. It wasn't that he _didn't _trust Dante, but rather that, he wasn't sure he wanted to have to tell _anyone _and risk needless alarm. There was a strict rule that the door between worlds was closed at exactly midnight: The end of Halloween for this year. Then it would not open again until the following Halloween and Jack was almost positive that it was well past the hour of twelve. Sure, there was other ways to get through to the mortal world, but until he thought of a way, he'd just have to get the pair home where they'd be safe.

            "Dante I really can't explain now, but if-"

            Dante just gave Jack a knowing smile complete with crooked, slime green teeth. He then dumped the contents of the bag onto the ground. Legs, arms and a foot. The gruesome list went on and Jack found himself making a grimace. "He'll be an interesting one alright!"

            Dante nodded and proceeded to hand over the sack. Jack smiled warmly at the impish man and nodded his head in gratitude. "Thank you Dante!"

            Dante just gave a smile that might have made any normal person wretch. "Aw, go on now before I change my mind!"

            Jack nodded and started off, waving a long, skeletal hand to Dante. 

            Meanwhile, Poe was steadily getting annoyed. Not only had his father's way of introduction been rude but also what was even **more** maddening was the fact that his father wouldn't tell him what was wrong. Poe didn't like secrets. In fact he _loathed _them. To know that his own _father_ was keeping one, right that very moment, made him a little ticked, to say the least. Nameless glanced at Poe. She could sense his tension and it made her a little nervous. She really hadn't meant to cause trouble, but somehow she had known that she would. It was that bad feeling that had been at the pit of her stomach just before leaving. 

            Poe sighed helplessly and turned back to Nameless. "I'm sorry he's –"

            Before Poe could say anymore, he was surprised to see a large, brown sack engulf Nameless. "Nameless!!"

            "What's going on?!" Nameless shrieked, throwing a few punches, though it did no good due to the sack over her head. "Get this off!"

            Poe looked up to see Jack standing there with a deeply apologetic look. "I'm honestly sorry about this Nameless, but it's just until we get home. Do you think you can walk?" 

            Nameless considered this. She didn't really want to walk around with a sack over most of her body, and not be able to see. Kind of defeated the purpose of visiting Halloween town. Besides that, the idea made her unnerved. She didn't want to fall through a hole or something.

            _"Don't be stupid," _she thought to herself, taking a few steps forward. _"There's not just holes laying ar-"_

"Nameless!" Poe and Jack cried out in unison. 

            Before Nameless could even finish the thought, she felt the ground end and then she hit it once again with a hard thud. She winced in pain and it didn't help that the sack was still over her. Jack and Poe immediately ran over to the open grave she had fallen into. "Great idea father!"

            "I'm okay…" she answered weakly.

            "Well, we can't have the townspeople seeing her! What else are we going to do?"

            Nameless stood shakily. She found that her legs burned with pain, but she could still stand.

            "**_WE? _**There is no WE! If it were up to me, I'd stop making such a big deal and just take that stupid-"

            "You don't **understand **Poe!"

            Nameless tried to pull the sack off of her, but her head was spinning a little, which didn't make the task any easier. "A…little help…?" she asked weakly.

            "Well then tell me!" 

            "Not here!"

            Nameless sighed. She then promptly sat down, sack still over her head. She had a feeling this was going to take a little while.

            ~*~

            So now, here she was. Being escorted through the town of her dreams, and she couldn't even see it. Someone had their arm around her shoulders to guide her, but she couldn't be sure if it was Jack or Poe. All she could see was her feet and dark, black, cobblestone street if she lowered her eyes. She could hear voices, all asking Jack what was in the bag, and Jack hurriedly explaining it was an experiment of Dr. Finkelstein's. That excuse seemed to satisfy curiosity, but Nameless felt a big indignant being called an _experiment_.

            Finally, just when Nameless was beginning to get sick of the sour stench the sack provided, and of not being able to see, she heard a door shut behind her and she had proceeded to stop walking.

            "Finally…" Poe muttered. Immediately the sack was whipped off of her and she what she saw nearly took her breath away. It was a house, about the size of her own. In front of her, was a single, metal spiraling staircase, though it wasn't large or grand in scale. Her feet stood on a black furred rug, which seemed to actually _wiggle _as she took a step. She looked to the right, seeing what must have been the living room. It had a few tall, gray, and rather gothic looking chairs. At the far end of the room next to a grand window was a portrait of Jack himself.  He had a rather silly grin on and Nameless found it hard not to smile. 

            For a moment, all Poe and Jack could do was watch. Nameless' curious stare to everything around her _was _rather cute. For Jack, it was like watching Poe again for the first time when they had brought him home. Jack found himself smiling and momentarily forgetting the urgency.

            Nameless walked over to a mantle on the wall, where there was some pictures and a rather creepy looking, stuffed black cat with it's fur sticking up, mid hissing and eyes wide. The funny thing was that it looked so real. Nameless gently poked it with her hand and jumped back as she saw it look to her, then jump down. It lost the wide- eyed stare, but its fur still stuck straight up. Nameless could only stare in awe, then smile as wide as she could. "This place…" she paused, staring around. "It' AMAZING!!"

            Poe actually grinned in a fashion similar to his father's. Jack, on his part, smiled as well, though rather proudly. He wasn't above a compliment. "Yes, well I'm glad you like it Nameless. Feel free to explore anywhere in the house. Don't be fooled. It's actually a lot bigger than it seems," he said with a smile. Then his smile faded and he looked to Poe. "I'm going to find your mother and we're going to talk about what needs to be done."

            Suddenly the grin faded and he shot his father a skeptical look. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong with her exactly?"

            "Not yet. Not until I find a solution! Then I'll explain everything. But Poe," his father stopped, turning to give him perhaps the most serious look he'd ever seen his father have. "Whatever you do, do **not **take her in public. That is a strict rule,"

            Poe gave his father a look that went from surprise to a little bit of aggravation. "Why **not**?! All I want to know is _WHY_?!"

            Jack gave his son an extremely stern look that left no question. "I said I'll explain later Poe! Now just listen to me and understand that absolutely NO one can know! I promise to explain it later," he said, walking away into another room of the house. Poe couldn't help but give the spot where his father stood, a stony glare. He had never been as mad at his father as he was now. Nameless had stopped ogling the room and had seen the tense exchange between father and son. Poe gave her an apologetic smile, which quickly turned rather dark. The smile startled Nameless a little. She didn't like it on Poe.

            "Well, if he won't explain what's going on…then I refuse to partake in his little state of worry. Come on Nameless!" Poe said in a rather jolly way. Nameless blinked for a moment then took a step back. "Alright, wait just a minute!"

            Poe turned to look at her. 

            She smiled a little coyly and turned her expression to Poe. "I've broken a fair share of rules in my life too. I've cut classes, stolen, and all that good stuff. Nothing big, but it's rule breaking. However, I _really, **REALLY **_do not think it's a good idea to go and make your dad angry…" she said, wincing a little at the mere thought of seeing a skeleton, who was known as the Pumpkin King, angry. Poe just laughed a little. "Let _me _worry about my father…"

            Nameless still looked a little nervous. The familiar feeling in her stomach had returned. Poe suddenly gave her a calm, reassuring smile. "I brought you here to show you Halloween town and by god I'm going to keep my promise!"

            Nameless couldn't help but smile at that and she nodded. Apart of her of her was absolutely screaming with excitement, while another part of her, a big part, was hoping she wasn't making a serious mistake.

            ~*~

            "Did you see that?!" Barrel asked, staked out with Lock by the side of Jack Skellington's house. Lock just nodded his wicked little head. "Yeah! A real live fleshy!"

            "Yeah! Here in Halloween town!" Barrel said with a devious smirk upon his little face. It was then that the door opened. "Quick shut up!" Lock snapped shoving Barrel down as the pair walked past. First it was Poe Skellington, Jack's son. Then it was the very same mortal Barrel and Lock had seen while looking through the window. 

            It had been their intentions to go a gather "supplies" for Oogie's resurrection. They had been ordered (courtesy of Shock) to go find a large, brown sack. They had found one that wasn't really large, but it was brown and it was a sack. Lock had the perfect plan to snatch the sack from the old windbag, Dante, until a certain skeleton had ruined his plans and took it for himself!

            However, that had just been the slime on the cake. The real surprise had come when Barrel and Lock had followed Jack to see a real live, mortal. A mortal in Halloween town!

            Now, here they were and the circumstances couldn't have been more perfect. The door to the Skellington residence had been left open and upon the floor, the brown sack they had been trailing. Lock looked to Barrel and sneered rather nastily, removing his mask. "A fleshy, I bet she'd make a good snack for Oogie when he comes back!"

Barrel eagerly nodded his head. "Yeah! He'd be real happy then!"

            Lock then shoved Barrel forward without question. "Good! Then get the sack! We got work to do!"


	11. Kidnap the Mortal?

Dream a Little Nightmare

By: Laney Sanchez

Note:  First note of business: _WOOOHOOO! _**24 REVIEWS! **Big thank you! I never really expected more than maybe 20 but 24 is just awesome. Let me thank people personally.

First Diamond Dragon, who sent me a nice e-mail. To Dragon, thanks again! You have no idea how much it makes my day to get an e-mail as nice as yours. I'll keep writing the story as long as you enjoy it and keep reading. Thank you so much! Your praise means a lot!

No Need To Know – Well, er…couldn't tell if your review was praise or criticism but thanks either way. I like both. As for Dr. F's sex life, I don't think Jack wanted to know either (he left there pretty fast!) XD

Cobweb I full plan on finishing the story so don't worry! Sorry for the cliffhangers! I promise I won't do it again *****crosses fingers*** **

Ghostwriter thank you for the many reviews! Seems you really like the story? So many reviews…makes my head spin! LOL but a big thank you! =)

The anonymous blank person (sorry!! Just had no name! ^.^;;) well thank you for the comment. I think it's cute too. Actually, I had names for her in my head and I couldn't make up my mind…so finally I said "Hey! It'd be cool to just keep her nameless. She'd fit right in at Halloween town" so that's how that came along. 

This also leads me to Suitcase! You do realize you got the 20th review? Well, if you'd like you can name Nameless. Just send me an e-mail if you got a name. If not that's okay too. It was just a little bonus for being the 20th reviewer. Thanks for sticking with the story through it's down time =D

Thanks again to everyone for that particularly. Got my AOL all fixed up now and so it should be good to go. Thank you all! So on with the story!

( \/ ) Chapter 11 ( \/ )

    o Kidnap the … Mortal? o

            The first thing that Nameless had looked at was the house itself. From the outside it looked like a lie. It was rather small looking with a single tower-like room reaching to the sky. The one room looked like it had constructed onto the house when the carpenter was drunk, as it was a bit lopsided and curvy. Nameless thought it lied simply because it gave off the impression of a little (yet somewhat eerie) house. Inside, it was much larger in scale. She briefly wondered how Jack had managed to pull that off before deciding that she'd have rather not known. 

            Poe walked ahead to the gates. Nameless stared at the gates. Her eyes scanned the gate thoughtfully. The bars were rather skinny. They were metal and upright in a narrow fashion. They had the insignia of a pumpkin at the very top.  She thought they were rather appropriate for someone who was known as "The Pumpkin King."

            Poe stopped to look at Nameless. He had to smile a little. Her curiosity was comical. Her eyes were wide, yet a hint of thoughtfulness gleamed within them. She seemed to crane her neck in every direction so, as to not miss one little detail. Finally she walked up to him, smiling like she had just found a brand new toy. Something that she couldn't wait to explore. Poe leaned down a little. "Relax. This is just the front of the house…" he said with a smirk and pushed the gates open with a groaning creek.

            What Nameless saw, made her heart race as though she had just run a marathon. The town itself was rather small. To the normal, average human, it would be called "shanty." However, Nameless knew she wasn't like most people. She could see beauty in small and simple things. She knew when an item as simple as a moonstone mineral was magic. 

            And she _knew _this town itself was magical and beautiful. She first noticed the town hall which, was built so it looked like the building _itself _was reaching for the wispy gray clouds above. On it was a clock and a sign, which read "364 Days till Halloween." Nameless couldn't help but giggle. "_They certainly are accurate…Guess there's no excuse for forgetting about Halloween"_ she thought in a whimsical manner. 

            Poe gave her a gentle smile. He would be lying if he had said that he wasn't growing fond of Nameless. Her fascination and curiosity was almost contagious. Even he was beginning to see the wonder in Halloween town. He was surprised he had never realized it. The abnormal atmosphere **was **its wonder.

            Poe then noticed a few of its inhabitants. He had never really gotten along with **some **like the Mayor and the devil, but all the same, he was almost positive they'd have some sort of comment on Nameless' presence. He could almost HEAR the comments. 

            "Mortal?"

            "How?"

            "That's Jack's son for you alright?"

            "How's this possible?"

            "Can we eat her?"

            Poe just sighed. For a moment he considered turning around and heeding his father's advice. However, apart of his heart was still very angry at his father for the secrets. Apart of him was wondering why he should listen if his father couldn't even be bothered to give him a decent answer.

            Much to Poe's dismay, he realized Nameless was already venturing out ahead of him. "Wait!" he called out. As he did, heads turned and gasps filled the air. There was nothing secret about Nameless' presence anymore. The habitants of Halloween town stared wide-eyed as if someone wearing bright pink with rainbow hair had walked in and began handing out lollipops and declaring "Happy Easter!"

            Nameless could say nothing. Her voice was caught in her throat. She had never been good at big social events in her own world. Now she had to try and at least say "hello" to rather scary looking creatures. She swallowed and to her relief, she felt Poe rest a hand on her shoulder. "Everyone, this is Nameless," he introduced, keeping it simple.

            The first to step forward was a small, rolly-poly boy. The odd thing about this child, or perhaps normal as normal could be in Halloween town, was the fact that this child's eyes were stitched closed. It then struck Nameless just exactly what she was looking at; a corpse child. 

            "What's she doing here?"

            Poe smiled. "She's going to stay here for awhile…"

            The child looked up at her as if inspecting her. Nameless couldn't imagine how this was accomplished with his eyes sewn shut. He poked her leg a little. "She's got such soft skin!"

            Another then strolled over, similar to the little boy except that it appeared to be a girl, quite slimmer with gray mildew stained hair, held back in a raven black bow. She as well looked to Nameless with her threaded eyes. "She's thin!"

            Finally the Devil and Behemoth stepped forward. They exchanged glances then proceeded to give their own observations about Nameless. "She's rather pink…"

            "No more darker I think!" the Devil corrected, circling Nameless. Nameless had to admit that the attention was nice but at the same time it struck an odd chord in her heart. This same feeling made it near impossible to breath. Would they like her? Would she be approved? Or would they insist that she leave and take Jack's road of thought. At the moment, none of them seemed to care about any of this, except for looking her over.

            "What have you here, Poe?" Poe turned to see the resident witch of Halloween town. Her sister tagged behind her, wide-eyed with gasping surprise. "A mortal, is it?"

            Poe nodded and gave a look to Nameless. She seemed to be a little nervous.

            "Does your father know about this?" the witch prodded. Poe just shook his head. Then gave the witch an annoyed little glance. He hated the fact that if he did anything, all everyone ever thought to ask was, "Is Jack okay with this?"

            He scowled but stepped closer to Nameless, suddenly feeling very gutsy. He grinned a little and now placed both hands upon her shoulders. He allowed a dark, yet wide grin to spread across his face. "Yes…EVERYONE!" he called out. At this, the residents jumped back and for once, for perhaps the first time in his life, all eyes were turned to Poe. Including Nameless'.

            "A mortal has come to town!"

            ~*~

            Barrel and Lock scuttled along the shadows. They watched, as the stupid residents of Halloween town ogled the mortal, as if she were a prize-winning pumpkin for the most rot. Lock just made a sour face. "This isn't fair!! With all those people there it'll be impossible to snag her…"

            Barrel gave his partner a weary look. "Maybe we should just forget it. We have what we needed right?"

            Lock growled. "No!" 

            Barrel stood back watching Lock with a confused look. "Well, then how do we grab her?"

            Lock glared thoughtfully. There had to be a way…

            Barrel sat down with the sack in his hands. His wicked little eyes scanned the sack up and down, muttering to himself. "We could just run in and grab her. Or maybe we'll do something to scare her so she runs away from the crowd. Or we could tell Jack. Or even-"

            Lock's face lit up and his grin became ten times more wicked. "That's it!" he screeched. He surprised Barrel so much that Barrel rolled backwards a bit. He rolled into the wall and landed upside down. He grinned like a madman at Lock, then suddenly frowned. "I don't get it…what's it?"

            "I got the best idea! We'll tell Jack!"

            Barrel opened his mouth to include the fact that _he _had actually come up with the plan, but Lock threw the sack at him. Barrel fell over and shook his head, still beneath the sack. Lock then proceeded to head off towards the Skellington household with a grin. Barrel nodded and stood, scuttling after Lock with the sack as fast as he could.

            ~*~

            A small fist pounded on the door to the Skellington house with extreme urgency. Sally Skellington slowly opened the door, with a small creak. She was a little surprised to see the Mayor standing there, empty-armed and apparently terrified. It had always been the norm for the Mayor to pay frequent visits to their household to discuss future Halloween plans with Jack. He would show up, usually chock loaded with parchments and books. The fact that he had neither, made her very nervous. She bit her lip, already sensing that she could guess what he had to tell Jack. 

            Minutes ago she had went to look for Poe and the human girl. She had found nothing. Empty rooms and silent hallways, but no Poe. She had rationalized that they couldn't have gotten _too _far, and therefore had held off on alerting Jack. Apart of her had hoped against any sensible hope that Poe would show up in a room that she had failed to check. Now, as she looked down at the Mayor, whose face had switched to the panicky, sad stricken face, she knew in her gut **exactly **where Poe was.

            "Hurry! Get Jack!! We have a crisis!!" he moaned, twiddling his fingers in a nervous manner. Sally drew in a deep breath and nodded, turning from the door. As she ascended the steps to retrieve Jack from his tower, the gut feeling had grown worse. She stopped a few steps short before the tower entrance and closed her eyes. "Oh…Poe…" she moaned miserably. 

            ~*~

            Things had worked out far better than Lock could've hoped. That squatty and stupid little ghoul, the Mayor, had already been at the house, pounding away on Jack's door like a spook with a schedule to keep. Lock and Barrel had hid in the shadows and let the rest play itself out. They had seen the rag doll Sally, the same one who had nearly been cooked into a stew by Oogie, walk off and bring Jack to the door moments later. Lock had almost lost it in a fit of giggles when he had seen the shocked expression on Jack's face. He had elbowed Barrel and they had both snickered. 

            Jack had wasted no time. He had almost run to the town-square with the Mayor and the rag doll following close at his coat tails. This had brought them to the present. Hiding back by a wall, watching the scene with total glee. Jack's son, the weirdo, Poe had been getting a good yelling from Jack. 

            "He's lucky…" Barrel commented. Lock shook his head in agreement. In the past, whenever the trio had acted up and tried to pull some post Halloween pranks, Jack had always been there to partake in scolding them and scaring them out of their wits. Granted, Jack wasn't as scary as Oogie had been, but he was still not a fellow that you wanted to go and make angry.

            Lock then noticed that the crowd had gathered behind and around Jack and Poe, who were quite busy arguing amongst themselves. The mortal girl had taken this time to step back. She looked rather guilty. Lock sneered. If he had been given the opportunity to cause _this _much trouble, he would've been rolling about in a fit of evil little giggles.

            Lock glanced to his right then his left then slugged Barrel in the arm. "Let's go! Bring the sack!"

            ~*~

            Nameless had remembered a great wave of fear and panic rising up within her heart when she had seen Jack Skellington stalking towards them both. Behind him had been a rather odd looking woman. She looked like the bride of Frankenstein or something similar, except that she was quite a bit prettier. Then behind her, had been a short, stubby little man with a pale, triangular face, which held an expression of grief like worry. She assumed that this had been the Mayor whom Poe had joked about earlier. 

            The moment Jack had approached them, she could tell he was upset. Maybe beyond upset even. Poe had pushed her behind him gently and gave her a look, which seemed to speak for it's own. It said "stay out of this." Nameless had done so.

            "Poe Skellington!! I _cannot _**believe **you have done this! I **_specifically _**told you not to bring _HER-_" he jabbed a bony finger at Nameless and Nameless had shrunk back in shame. "Into the eye of the public! And what have you done?!"

            Poe had clearly not wanted to get her involved, but Nameless felt as those she were every bit to blame as he was. 

            "Well _you _didn't even bother to give me an explanation-"

            "I TOLD you that I would after I had told you mother!!"

            "Well why shouldn't I be the first to hear about it anyway?! She's MY friend…"

            At this, Jack had become suddenly quiet. Nameless felt a little flattered. To have someone defending her by calling her a "friend" was a definite first for her. It made her feel good but at the same time, it had succeeded in making her feel worse. She took a step back. She had begun to think of Poe as her friend as well. 

            _"Well, if he's your friend then why'd you let him get in trouble smart girl?!"_

She tried to block out the mental voice that was chiding her but it was no use. It was hard to block out the truth of things. She could have said something. She could have refused to go. She-

            Before Nameless could think another thought, blackness covered her eyes and a stench filled her nose. It was the exact same stench of the sack from earlier. After a moment, Nameless realized that it WAS the same sack from earlier. She felt her feet pulled out from beneath her and suddenly she was falling forward. She remembered feeling her head hit the ground and then some pain, but that was it.


	12. A Need To Escape

Dream a Little Nightmare  
  
By: Laney Sanchez  
  
   
Note:  Hey everyone! Sorry it took so darn long to get this chapter up! I was away on Christmas Vacation. It was quite odd. We had about an inch of snow every night, but the next morning the sun would come out and melt it all! What a weird winter. I hope your holidays went good for all of you! Also, FF.net was being seriously stupid. Wouldn't let me post this chapter as webpage even though there was nothing wrong with it...*growls* =|  
Anyway, onto a lighter subject...reviews!  
There's so many reviews that piled up so I'm going to list names!  
  
   
  
Moonlitbeauty  
  
   
  
Lenore   
  
   
  
RELfoxtail  
  
   
  
Ghostwriter  
  
   
  
Artemis Hawk  
  
   
  
Soul Eater  
  
   
  
Kitty  
  
   
  
Katie  
  
   
  
Miss Pataki  
  
   
  
THANK YOU! All of you! I'm sorry I couldn't give long big words of thanks but there's so many that I'd be here forever. Please don't think your reviews mean any less because they mean the world! I do, however, have to give a special note of thanks to Diamond Dragon who created some lovely fan art for me. It's just perfect and it's wonderful to see how the imagination creates a picture of Poe and Nameless. You can visit it here:   
  
   
  
http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/pubimage.asp?id_=1382339  
  
   
  
If you really like it, then give Diamond a word or two of encouragement. Artists love encouragement! Also, Suitcase, this is long overdue business but thank you for the "Name". I like it a lot and I'll be sure and use that in the final chapter! Thanks for helping me out ^.~  
  
   
  
So without further ado, chapter 12!   
  
   
  
         ( \/ ) Chapter 12 ( \/ )  
  
    o A Need To Escape o  
  
   
  
            If the way to Halloween town while in the sack was even remotely uncomfortable, it was nothing compared to what this trip must have been. Nameless had awoken with a headache that could've rivaled a jackhammer pounding against her skull. Her line of vision had also been seriously distorted and she had the worse feeling of being dizzy. It was the feeling of sitting on one of the old playground merry-go-rounds. The ones where one kid would push and run around then hop on and the whole thing would continue to spin and spin until it slowed and the world came to a stand still.  
  
   
  
            Nameless winced and touched the part of her head where pain had taken residency. She hissed in pain as her fingers connected with a good-sized welt where she had hit her head.   
  
   
  
            She tried to recollect what happened to her. "Take it slowly…" she repeated to herself mentally. First, she had been with Poe. Yes, Poe and Jack Skellington. She had been caught in the middle of a father-son argument that she would have preferred to never have happen in the first place. She remembered the odd, yet charming, residents o Halloween town poke and prod at her like she was some shiny new gadget that they had never before seen. Then she remembered the horrible, putrid smelling sack engulfing her like a wide mouth. Like she had been swallowed.   
  
   
  
            Then there had been blackness.  
  
   
  
However, it was funny. The last thing she remembered didn't really change from where she was now. All she could gather from her surroundings, was that it was certainly dark, damp and it almost had to be some sort of chamber. She could vaguely make out dark, yet cruel looking devices. Almost something like a large wheel. Somehow, the whole place drew up an image in the back of her mind, which she couldn't place at the moment. She struggled to clear her line of vision and to push away the fog of dizziness that had set upon her mind like a violent storm.   
  
   
  
            "Poe…" she muttered. She had no idea of anything, but something told her that she was far, far away from Poe or anyone else's reach.  
  
   
  
            Nameless pushed herself up with one hand, struggling to stand on legs that were equivalent to jelly. Upon standing, another wave of pain hit her head, but she fought to ignore it. She had to find a way out. Her mind had made up that decision at least. It was either choose to stay here or-  
  
   
  
            "BOO!"   
  
   
  
            Nameless screamed and felt the fragile balance of her legs become suddenly shattered. In a minute, she was back to sitting upon the cold, steel-like floor. She was staring, face to face with a very ugly skull-like face. She let out a small yelp and scrambled back. Regularly, she wouldn't be one to be so jittery. However, given the events that had happened recently, she knew that the word, "regular" and its definition, had just about gone out the window.  
  
   
  
            Nameless drew in a deep breath and tried to remain calm as two other ghoulies came into focus. The third walked to the one that had apparently scared her, a little ghoulish looking butterball with a rather hideous skeleton mask. It resembled nothing of Jack nor Poe, except for maybe the shape.   
  
   
  
            "You idiot!" the third screeched and promptly slapped the skeleton child upside the head with a green, misshapen mask. The third one appeared to be witchy looking. Long scraggly hair put beneath an overly tall, pointed hat. Long, yet big, nose and beady little eyes. The only thing that marred her from being the picture perfect witch, was the fact that she was about three feet high. Or maybe her eyes were still playing tricks.  
  
   
  
            "Oww…" wailed the skeleton child. The witch child sneered and snatched her mask back, slipping it on. The mask differed very little from her actual face. Nameless might have found it funny, had she not had the headache from hell splitting her skull.   
  
   
  
            "We're not suppose to scare her! That's Oogie's job! Suppose we scared her stupid!"   
  
   
  
            "I didn't yell that loud…" the skeleton child argued, though it was a rather weak argument.    
  
   
  
            "She's fine, see?" the third, who was dressed as a little devil, observed, poking her in the cheek. Nameless scrambled back and managed to slap his hand away. Her mind began to spin further, adding only to provoke the throbbing in her brain. The three little imps began to laugh in sheer evil glee. Her mind began to wander…  
  
   
  
            Back then, how old had she been? Twelve, or maybe thirteen? She supposed it didn't matter.   
  
   
  
            The classroom was not unlike the rest. Boring with its wooden desks lined neatly in perfect rows of five, not one slightly moved from its designated area. The carpet was an old shade of worn, hazel brown. The chalkboard was a dirty green, smeared with chalk dust from lessons that had come year after year. Same old corny pro-learning posters, that decorated the wall. One, perhaps the one she hated the most, said in big balloon-like letters; "There is no I in teamwork." She had really grown to hate that poster in particular. Especially after the memories she shared in that classroom.  
  
   
  
            "So, are you going to be in our team?" asked a girl with short though perfect chestnut hair. Amy Dyer: the most perfect girl in school. If perfection had ever embodied a seventh grader, it chose its form as Amy Dyer. She had tried tirelessly all year to become friends with Amy and her "lackeys." Just friends. She didn't really envision ever becoming super popular, but somehow just to be able to say that you were friends with Amy Dyer, had a certain appeal. Hell, having even one friend held a certain appeal. It had never helped that on more than one occasion when she had mentioned her troubles with the "in" crowd at school, her mother had suggested she make friends with Amy.  
  
   
  
            So now she had to wonder if she was dreaming.  
  
   
  
            Her heart had leapt into her throat. Could Amy be really asking this of her? Her, the same shy, timid, some-what nerdy girl whom often would be placed at the back of classes and ignored like an old, unwanted toy put upon a lonely shelf.   
  
   
  
            "You mean…me?" she asked incredulously, almost sure that perhaps Amy was speaking to someone else.  
  
   
  
"Yeah! So you wanna be in our group?" Amy asked, leaning in. Her two cronies behind her just offered syrupy sweet smiles. Nameless had pulled back. She had not liked the look on their faces. Not at all.   
  
   
  
            Yet, still there was apart of her that remained hopeful. What if they were being honest? Could she dare to hope that way? She drew in a small breath, somehow sensing she was about to feed herself to the wolves. "Yeah…"  
  
   
  
            "Well, you can't! PSYCHE!"  
  
   
  
            The girls cackled in cruel tone of high-pitched voices. Nameless had fought back the on coming embarrassment and mentally cursed herself. That hadn't been the worst. The worst had been the words that had followed. Amy leaned her perfect face close to her own. "We don't hang out with nobodys. Losers like you. Pick one. You fit both…" she said, leaning back with a sneer, crossing her arms.   
  
   
  
            Nameless bit her lip. There was no way she was going to cry in front of them. No way. It was like something from a hideous teen school movie. The snotty, perfect girl who always seemed like she was just way too big of a monster to ever truly be real. But here she was. Amy Dyer: the embodiment of perfection. However, to Nameless she was her own personal monster.   
  
   
  
            She shouldn't have expected any less from them and at the moment she desperately hated herself for even hoping. Why did she hope at all? WHY? She could have just screamed in agony had she not been in the classroom. Almost without realizing, she raised her hand, which was shaking worse than a wind up toy. She could hardly hear herself ask to be excused. She pushed past Amy and the group of snickering girls. As she made her way from the classroom, their snide little giggles faded but rang more clearly than ever in Nameless' ears. She remembered that she had not gone to use the restroom. Rather, she had just walked right out of school. Sure, there had been hell to pay when she got home and her parents had actually been there.   
  
   
  
            But she had wanted to be anywhere BUT there. Needed to escape.  
  
   
  
            Now she was here. In this dark chamber, which in an odd and grisly way resembled the old classroom. Minus the "teamwork" poster of course. Now, here were the same cruel three faces laughing at her expense. Nameless felt a shudder wrack her body. She could think of nothing at the moment, too over come by the bitter memory and how it had been the prelude to her life alone in the following teenage years to come. She forced herself to stand and glared at the three little imps. She promptly kicked the witchy looking one and ran. She wasn't sure where she was running to, maybe the light. She just knew she was running. To hell with this place and with those little freaks too. To hell with Amy Dyer as well.  
  
   
  
            Again there was that feeling of needing to escape, like so many years ago. She had to escape to someone or some place.  
  
            Through her grief and her rage, she managed to utter one word:   
  
   
  
"Poe…"  
  
   
  
---  
  
   
  
Side note: Sorry to make this chapter sound a little bit like a middle school drama. I actually DO have a method to my madness. I just wanted to give the reader a glimpse into Nameless' memories. It's just to let you know more about her and why it is that she's alone in the real world. To let you realize that she isolates herself and why. I did this as opposed to just creating a loner character that was alone for the hell of it, without a real explanation. As you can imagine, she probably stopped trying to really connect during those years of schools. Anyway, I'm done explaining. I hope no one hates this chapter too much! I promise there will be more LSB goodness in the next chapter!   
  
  


	13. Here Comes the Boogie Man Again

Dream A Little Nightmare  
  
by: Laney Sanchez  
  
Note: Sorry it's been so long! I know I haven't updated in forever so if anyone's mad at me that's acceptable v_v;  
  
I don't like not finishing things, but I recently got done with a messy move and this was definately on my list of things to finish. So here goes!  
  
Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own any aspect of the Nightmare Before Christmas -Her own monster under the bed, Mr. Snuggles, growls- Yes, yes. It's a darn shame v_v  
  
But hey! I guess I own Nameless and Poe! ^^  
  
( \/ ) Chapter 13 ( \/ )  
  
o Here Comes the Boogie Man...Again. o  
  
"What's her problem?"  
  
Nameless looked up from her painful memory. For just a moment, she had forgotten where she was. She had forgotten the small impish children who had been scaring her. Suddenly they didn't seem so scary.  
  
"It doesn't matter! We got work to do!" the witch one pointed out. She began to walk away and the skeletal one followed her closely. "What should I do Shock?" he asked curiously. "You go get the ingredients!" she said in a sing songy voice.  
  
Nameless just sort of curled her upper lip. "Ingredients?"  
  
"Yeah! We're gunna-" the skeletal one began, looking back to Nameless. "Shut up!" Shock snapped and slapped Barrel hard. Barrel winced and rubbed his face. "But-"  
  
"She'll find out for herself when it's time..." Shock said with a nasty little giggle. Nameless just sighed and stood back, looking wholely unimpressed. "I'm just letting you know, I'm NOT scared of you any longer..."  
  
"Oh really...?" Lock said, inching near her. Nameless kept perfectly calm. "Yes. Really. You're just small midgets who've probably had too much candy..." she rationed with a little smile. At that the trio just stared at her, then exhanged looks. Lock stalked up to her and glared, putting his mask on. "No! We're much more than that. You're looking at Halloween Town's number one trick or treaters!"  
  
  
  
"Not to be taken lightly!" Barrel added and Shock shot him a rather aggitated look. "I thought I told you to go get the ingredients!"  
  
Barrel jumped then scurried off. Nameless stiffled a little laugh. "I don't care if you were ..." she paused. "The shoe shiners of Jack Skellington himself!"  
  
At that Shock and Lock looked utterly flabbergasted. "I could still kick you if I wanted to. At your height, you'd make the perfect impish soccer ball," Namless said with a grin. Lock screeched and ran at Nameless, but Shock held him back by his tail.  
  
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" he screamed, swatting at Shock and trying to tug away. Shock released him as commanded and Lock promptly flew into a wall from the force of his struggle. She just returned the grin at Nameless. "You're a trouble maker! I can tell. It's really a shame that when Oogie gets here your time will be up!" she cackled and walked to the middle of the room, hovering over what appeared to be a dark, dormant pit. She pressed down on one of the panels on the ground with her foot and Nameless jumped briefly as the room lit up rather brightly. What she saw left her speechless. The whole room looked like some sort of giant roulette wheel from hell.   
  
The pit, now sprang to life in a burst of orange glow. A strange contraption fell slowly from the cieling and began to churn the pit. "Now you'll see..." Shock said softly.   
  
"I got it Shock!" Barrel called, just barely tugging an old, big sack behind him. Nameless reconized it as the sack they had used to cart her here and she winced. If they planned to put her back in it, she'd at least give them some nice bruises before they managed.  
  
Upon looking closer Nameless realized that the sack was moving.   
  
She took a step closer, now stepping up beside Lock, who gave her a nasty look. "Is...someone in there...?" she asked softly.   
  
Her question was hurriedly answered as Shock jumped up and pounced on the sack, bursting it open. Wave after sickening wave of bugs flowed into the pit and Nameless put a hand to her mouth to stiffle a scream. Lock noticed and grinned before shoving her over, in direct line of the cascade of bugs. Nameless screamed as she fell forward. Shock and Barrel just giggled gleefully then tossed the sack in as well. The liquid inside the pit churned and turned a sickly green, emitting a poof of smoke. Nameless scrambled back from the pit as the liquid bubbled up.   
  
She felt her stomach squeeze into a sick not as bugs danced and swirled in the green slop, some even emitting a few small squeals. "Why dontcha take a swim?!" Lock said, pouncing on her back. Nameless screamed and quickly threw him off but as she screamed the pit bubbled up more furiously.  
  
Shock watched then looked slyly to Nameless. "I get it..." she snarled softly then leaned over and whispered something to Barrel. Barrel narrowed his eyes and a gave a grin that would've been cute had it not been so sneaky. As Nameless was dealing with Lock, Barrel came up behind her and clung onto her leg. "BOO!" he screamed and again Nameless screamed in surprise. Shock joined in, cackling. "I have a little present for you dearie!"   
  
Shock then threw up her arms as if in celebration and spiders flew through the air at Nameless like confetti. Nameless cried out and stumbled back, trying to fend the little insects off.  
  
Behind her the pit was now nearly erupting. It bubbled and spewed flecks of green everywhere. The trio paused to watch, all in awe. Nameless backed away from the pit, grimacing as one little spider watched fearfully from her shoulder.  
  
The pit swelled and turned a blindingly bright green then it almost seemed to explode. Namless cried out and fell back and clenched her eyes shut. What she heard next, made her blood freeze like ice in her veins. There was a laugh, but not an ordinary laugh. It was pure evil and booming, like thunder. It resonated in the chamber so it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. Finally Nameless forced herself to open her eyes, now trembling just slightly. She opened them in time to see a rather large figure rise from the glop, almost ontop of it now as if it was carrying him.   
  
He was large, roughly the size of a hippo, and his skin seemed to be composed of the sack itself. Where his eyes should of been, there were empty sockets of pure black but somehow they weren't like Poe or Jack's had been. There was an essence of malice and cruelty lieing in those black depths. Finally Nameless looked to the wide gaping black hole which was his mouth. Finally he stepped forward and grinned darkly, leaning in at Namless.  
  
He was horrible, gruesome, terrible and scary all at once. Nameless shrunk back, not wanting to be touched by him at all.   
  
"Oogie's baaaack!" Lock said with an evil little giggle. Nameless didn't need to be a genius to know that this was definately not good. 


	14. A Surprise for Poe

Dream A Little Nightmare  
  
by: Laney Sanchez  
  
Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! LadyApocalymon, KrazyReader, Suitcase, jmagiq, NB2000, Aliguis, Soul Eater, Aniron, Carrah Malani, Celaary, Shadow and Kayla and anyone else. I know there's more...and if I didn't mention you please don't take offense. Each and every review means so much to me and brings a smile to my face.  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Tim Burton owns the characters and movie itself. Not me. Man...  
  
( \/ ) Chapter 14 ( \/ )  
  
o A Surprise for Poe o  
  
Nameless' absence had not gone un-noticed.  
  
"Nameless!" Poe called upon returning from his search of the graveyard. Poe mentally cursed himself. If only he had been paying a little more attention...  
  
Rather he had been in the middle of a heated arguement with his father. Poe grit his teeth slightly at the memory. He didn't want to feel angry or bitter towards his father, but a persistant thought nagged at him. If his father hadn't been distracting him with such pointless reprimanding-  
  
"No..." Poe muttered. "I can't think like that..."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Poe stopped in his tracks and looked behind him. There stood the old, hunched up Dante eyeing him cleverly. "You know young Skellington...it's perfectly alright to feel anger. Even if it is towards your father..."  
  
Poe looked down. Somehow he just didn't feel right being upset at his father. Dante stepped up beside the young skeleton. "Why my dad and me use to really have some gruff scuffles!" he bellowed with a hardy laugh. "I wouldn't call you twos normal if ya didn't argue once and a while. It's apart of family!"  
  
  
  
Poe glanced over just a little, feeling himself perk up just ever so slightly. "You...you really think so?"  
  
"Ah yeah! I know so!" Dante said, giving Poe a rather large slap on the back of the legs which almost sent him stumbling. "Besides, yer parents love ya a lot! Why I remember being there the day they brought you home from old Finkelstein's lab-"  
  
"What?" Poe asked, suddenly all focused on Dante. "What did you say? About Finkelstein!?"  
  
"Er...that yer parents brought you home?"  
  
"Why...was I at Finkelstein's?" Poe questioned. Dante shrugged. "Well cause he created ya of course! I mean yer mother bein a creation of that old coot's and all, she couldn't be having children."  
  
Poe felt something inside of him crumble and fall away. It was as if his whole world turned inside out then just fell to pieces. Dante must've noticed by the look on his face.   
  
"Er...ya didn't know?"  
  
Poe could only muster a blank nod "no." Dante looked away, suddenly embarassed. "Well yah! ...I mean why do ya think yer parents never had any pictures of you as a wee one?"  
  
Suddenly things that Poe had merely brushed off in the past came racing back to him. Everything made so much sense. Many nights Poe had laid awake in bed, trying to recall his past. He recalled memories but it was funny that he could never really recall anything past being "sixteen," if that was even his true age. Everything seemed to have lost meaning and yet it made so much sense. His past, his odd behaviour, and especially his isolation from the town. Why would the town want an artificial prince? Who would want to look up to some...thing. Some creation.  
  
Poe stepped back and put his hands to his skull. Dante looked at him with grave worry. "Are ya okay there?"  
  
Poe slowly shook his head, clenching his eyes shut. "I'm just ...a toy...something..." his words drifted off, though the degree of pain that filled them was vast. Dante reached out to comfortingly touch Poe but Poe shrank away. "No...!"  
  
"I'm just a thing that was created for their amusement! I'm not even real! I don't even know who I am anymore! Am I me or just...is this my personality that was 'programmed?' I don't even know my real age!! I ..." Poe stepped back. His mind was racing and trying to piece together too many things that seem to have no fit.   
  
"Poe! Poe Skellington!"  
  
Poe slowly opened his eye sockets and looked over to see the Harlequin demon approaching with a rather odd figure in two. It appeared to be in the shape of a woman. Their ebony hair flowed free and low to their hips like a morbid black river. Their face was shielded by a grand, deep violet-gray hood. She wore a long black dress that somewhat reminded Poe of a swamp moss. The tail of the dress seemed to writhe and flow behind her as though it were alive. Poe knew her simply as Gothina. He only knew her of what he heard by rumors. She lived on the outskirts of town, though not too far and not too close. Her home could be found if you followed the pumpkin sun to the north. No one really bothered her and she was a town resident whom you could never really be sure what she was up to. She rarely left her home, even for Halloween (which had made some of the residents rather bitter with her). Poe may have been more surprised at her presence had he not felt so horrible.  
  
"Poe! We found this near the town's gate!" the Harlequin announced, holding up a couple of pieces of candy corn. Poe eyed it with disinterest and didn't say anything. Dante eyed the candy as well. "Why, I couldn't tell ya I'm positive but I believe it belongs to those three little scoundrels...ah..." he put a hand to his chin in consideration. "Lock, Shock and Barrel is it?"  
  
"Yes, that seems right!" the Harlequin said, looking thoughtfully at the candy. Poe looked as though he had snapped out of a dream. He gently took a single piece of candy from the Harlequin's hand. He held it between two bony fingers and eyes his suspiciously. "What's goin' on here?" Dante asked curiously. The Harlequin began to go into the tale until Poe suddenly took off. Dante tried to follow for a moment before calling out to Poe. "What about ya father?!"  
  
"I don't care!" Poe snapped, and with that he was gone. 


End file.
